ABSTRACT
The early 21st-century context for international student recruitment has been changing rapidly, and while some trends continued to benefit the United States the rise of new challenges was even more obvious—despite the numerical successes international education groups trumpeted in 2007. International students paying money to American schools made higher education the fifth largest source of foreign earnings for services in the American economy, a sign of considerable ongoing strength and a possible motivation for some rethinking about reaching out more aggressively to the market involved. International students do not necessarily differ from domestic ones, and of course there is great variety among individuals and, to some extent, among different cultures of origin. International houses have been one response, mixing international students from different locations to some degree and sometimes combining them with internationally minded American students. In the case of international undergraduates special housing sections also reduce benefits to American students from frequent and informal contacts.
