2-18-99

OHIO STATE GRADUATE STUDENTS CONTRIBUTE TO UNIVERSITY, STATE

   COLUMBUS -- The Ohio State University's policies on enrolling and funding international graduate students keep the university competitive nationally and attract students who make valuable contributions to the institution and the state, a new Graduate School report concludes.

   Statewide news reports in December and January raised concerns about how the state's public universities distribute financial support to international graduate students vs. American students, and especially those from Ohio. The reports prompted the Ohio Board of Regents to survey the state's graduate schools about their funding policies.

   One published report included incorrect data about Ohio State. According to 1997 Ohio State data, 2,296, or 22.1 percent, of 10,400 graduate students were international students; one newspaper, drawing on misprinted data, incorrectly suggested that international students made up more than 57 percent of graduate student enrollment.

   But Ohio State's concerns on the issue extend beyond numbers. More important, said Graduate School Dean Susan L. Huntington, is the fact that Ohio State's policies require that nearly all financially supported graduate students at Ohio State provide some sort of service in exchange for their funding packages. The exception is students on fellowships.

   "We are intent on demonstrating that not all of Ohio's institutions should be lumped together in terms of how they fund their graduate students," said Huntington, who also is vice provost for graduate studies. "Graduate education in Ohio and nationally is not about domestic students paying their own way while international students are given free educations -- it is about supporting the highest-quality students whose talents can in turn benefit the institution and its contributions to the state."

   The report explains that Ohio State enforces a single set of uniform minimum criteria across the university for admission into graduate school. Citing autumn 1997 data, the report also makes the following points, among others:

   -- At Ohio State, 88.8 percent of graduate students who are fully funded perform teaching, research or other service in exchange for the funding. Another 10.5 percent top students are awarded competitive fellowships; though they may not hold associateships, their scholarly activity contributes to the academic community.

   -- Ohio State has maintained a steady and strong domestic graduate student enrollment: Despite a nearly 24 percent increase in international applicants over 10 years, the percentage of international graduate students remained between 21 and 22 percent of all graduate students.

   -- Some Graduate School fellowships specifically require U.S. citizenship to allow the university to compete for the strongest domestic candidates in the country. In addition, Ohio State's Graduate School has raised the minimum acceptable score on an English-language proficiency test, which may make it more difficult for some international students to be admitted.

   -- Ohio money is not the sole source of funding for graduate students. Many funded graduate students are paid from external grants and contracts; of 2,296 international students enrolled in 1997, 61 percent were funded by non-Ohio funds.

   -- International students bring advantages to the institution and to the state of Ohio, including:

   a) Because they are heavily concentrated in the sciences, where there is a shortage of American students, international students fill a critical need in the undergraduate teaching mission and in scientific research. In fact, Huntington noted that without graduate students performing teaching and research, the need to hire full-time faculty at much higher salaries would dramatically drive up the cost of delivering high-quality academic programs.

   b) Ohio's links to important regions in the world are strengthened through the network of international alumni; international alumni and friends also contribute to fund-raising activities.

Contact: Susan L. Huntington, dean, or William A.T. Clark, associate dean, Graduate School, (614) 292-6031

To request a copy of the report, contact Emily Caldwell, University Communications, (614) 292-8309.