Brazil Emerges as New Market for International College Students
More international students are coming to U.S. colleges. About half of them are from China, India, and South Korea. But, American colleges are also becoming popular with Brazilian students. Through a new program, about 125 Brazilian students are attending Georgia colleges.
Georgia State University has students from all over the world, including Vietnam, Nigeria, and The United Kingdom. But a few years ago, the school decided to focus on countries with emerging markets, like Brazil.
“[Brazil] has huge economic implications, for business, for education,” says Jun Liu, GSU’s associate provost for international initiatives. Liu says the school is part of a consortium of Georgia colleges partnering with a Brazilian science program. Students come to the U.S. for a year to study Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. They don’t earn degrees. Most need to take English classes at first.
“They take a placement test here with us,” says Cheryl Delk-Le Good, director of GSU’s Intensive English program. “They place in one of five levels, take a semester or two semesters of English before moving on to academic work.”
Delk-Le Good says the Brazilian government covers students’ tuition, housing, and living expenses. But, she says, because the students apply for the program through their government, they don’t receive priority over other GSU applicants.
“They’re not degree-seeking,” she says. “So, if they were to apply to Georgia State, they would undergo the same admissions criteria that all students have to.”
In addition to GSU, students have also been placed at Georgia Tech, Kennesaw State University, Oglethorpe, and the University of Georgia.
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