Post on 14-Apr-2018
7/27/2019 A Study in Student Opportunities: Massachusetts
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6 ~ Global PerspectivesAugust 2013
4INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
The Commonwealth o Massachusetts has been a gateway to oreign-born immigrants or almost 400 years. Today, a
signicant number o those new arrivals are students. Because it was one o the earliest settlements in what is now the United
States, Massachusetts is home to some o the oldest and most prestigious universities in the world. Foreign students have come
to schools like Harvard, MIT, Smith and Amherst or generations. Today, international students have become so essential to
higher education that colleges, universities and community colleges across the state are vying or their share.
University-related opportunities are easy to nd in Massachusetts. In act, Boston has a higher concentration o colleges anduniversities than any other city in the country, and education is an important driver o the states economy. Every autumn
Boston, Cambridge and the surrounding communities see a huge infux o students o all nationalities. Scientists fock to the
areas hospitals and research institutions, and technology graduates are drawn to the high-tech corridor that curls around the
outer rim o the metropolitan area.
A Study in Student Opportunities
MASSACHUSETTS
International presence
According to the Institute o International
Education (IIE), universities and colleges
in Massachusetts enrolled 41,258 oreign
students in the school year 2011-12, the
ourth largest student population o any
U.S. state. Northeastern University and
Boston University each drew over 6,000
students, ollowed by Harvard with
5,453 and the Massachusetts Institute o
Technology with 3,833.
Together these our schools bring
over 21,000 students into the Boston/
Cambridge metropolitan area, about hal
o the international enrollees in the state.
However, in the central and western parts
o the state, as well as Cape Cod, youll
nd students rom all around the world.
While in Massachusetts, oreign student
expenditures totaled an estimated $1.489
billion during the 2011-2012 academic year.
An eclectic mix
Massachusetts presents a unique set
o opportunities. The schools in Boston
coexist in a major metropolitan setting.
Moving west, much o the rest o the state
is classic small-town rural New England.
Boston is a major magnet or international
students. Its a world-class city with direct
fights to many countries and most major
American cities. It also has a rich heritage
and cultural arts scene and is an easy drive
to New York City and most spots in
New England.
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Global PerspectivesAugust 2013 ~ 7
Boston is also a mecca or oreign students
rom wealthy amilies, who are recently
trending toward renting or purchasing
luxury residences or their student children.
I you want to assist oreign students in the
Boston area, make sure youre amiliar with
university housing and popular o-campus
rental options, but also:
Know the luxury market in upscale areas
near large universities, like Beacon Hill
and the Back Bay;
Look or ully urnished luxury apartments
with amenities like concierge service,
even those that do not typically rent to
students; and,
Be acquainted with the luxury
condominium market in case parents
are looking or a second home or pied-
a-terre in Boston.
Western Massachusetts actively
recruits international students through
a consortium called Study Western
Massachusetts, a diverse group o
institutions including public and private
colleges and universities and community
colleges. Go to studywesternmass.orgto locate participating colleges. Beyond
education, the consortium supports the
growth o international trade in the region,
oering another way to expand your global
connections. Contact them to see where
you can be o assistance in relocating
students and international workers.
The Brazilian immigrant communityin
Massachusetts has skyrocketed in the last
30 years, while in the last decade Brazilsmiddle class has grown as the economy
took o. Brazil now sees Massachusetts as
one o its strongest partners in the United
States. The president o Brazil, Dilma
Rousse, made only two stops during
her 2012 trip to the U.S.; one to President
Obama and one to Massachusetts
governor Deval Patrick.
Brazilian students will be coming in greater
numbers to the state under several new
academic partnerships with the U.S. Brazil
will be sending 75,000 students abroad
to study in the STEM elds (science,
technology, engineering and mathematics).
Massachusetts is well positioned to capture
several thousand o these students. Agents
with a knowledge o Brazilian communities
in eastern Massachusetts can assist these
students when they arrive.
Dont forget visa workers at universities
and teaching hospitals. Major universities
are among the top area employers o H1-B
visa workers in the Boston area. Investigate
ways you can assist in relocating their
incoming oreign employees; this may
mean tapping the same contacts handling
university student housing, or you may need
to establish other administration contacts
or aculty services.
Institution Location International Students
in 2012
1Northeastern
UniversityBoston 6,486
2Boston
UniversityBoston 6,041
3Harvard
UniversityCambridge 5,453
4Massachusetts
Institute o
Technology
Cambridge 3,833
5University o
Massachusetts,
Amherst Campus
Amherst 1,649
Leverage opportunities to
expand your business
I youre able to cultivate a niche working
with oreign students rom a particular
country, use what you learn to develop
additional business with nearby immigrantcommunities rom the same country. Or
watch or opportunities to travel with your
university connections on a trade mission
to meet with prospective students and
their amilies on their home tur.
The more you learn and the more
contacts you make, the wider your global
opportunities will become. The university
market in Massachusettsand in many
other statesoers a wide array o choicesor targeting global buyers. There is no
best choice, only many good options
or starting, and growing, your own
global niche. GP
Top Five Massachusetts InstitutionsHosting International Students
Source: Institute o International Education (2012)
Rank