By ANDY CHO
MAHWAH, N.J. – Over the last few years, Ramapo College of New Jersey has more than doubled the number of international students.
There are currently 90 international students from over 35 different countries enrolled at Ramapo College, according to Rajesh Adhikari, director of International Student and Scholar Services. Bulgaria was the country that represented the majority of the international students around 2010, but since 2013, the trend of students from Nepal has been rising.
“The number was at around 30 international students a few years ago, then it went up to around 80 to 90 students,” Adhikari said.
Growing Trend of Incoming International Students
Ramapo College isn’t alone in hosting a growing quantity of students from abroad. According to U.S. News, colleges and universities all over the United States broke a record in 2014 by welcoming a total of 886,052 undergraduate and graduate students. As part of the same report, international students make up about 4 percent of all college students in America.
It’s no secret why U.S. colleges and universities are seeing more and more applications from overseas. America is still widely viewed as the land of opportunity. This country is also home to many of the top universities in the world, including Princeton University, Harvard University, Stanford University, MIT, and many more.
Ramapo College’s International Education program offers many perks, like housing grants, various scholarships, on-campus housing during breaks, and consultation regarding legal status in the U.S.
Junior at Ramapo College, Thanuka Udumulla Arachchilage came all the way from the country of Sri Lanka. On why he chose to come to America for school, he acknowledged the better opportunities for his career and future.
“I got a chance to learn different cultures and different types of people. I was seeking and found more opportunities academically and professionally by coming to the States,” Arachchilage said.
“The international orientation when I first got [to Ramapo] really eased the transition, and the people of the International Study Office were very friendly and helpful, which was a big hello,” Arachchilage added. “The small size of this school also helped because we each got to have a personal connection with the college staff.”
Arachchilage plans to pursue a graduate degree at Columbia University upon graduating from Ramapo.
Arjun Bastola, who is currently in his second year and studying computer science at Ramapo College, is one of 30 international students from Nepal.
“I chose Ramapo because the U.S. has much better educational opportunities than my country’s, and I wanted to experience America’s diverse culture. I also liked the location that this school was in, being less than an hour away from New York City,” Bastola said. “So studying here means I will gain international experiences and be more prepared and competitive for when I go back to Nepal.”
Adhikari believes the growing community of international students is beneficial for both the students and the college. He emphasized that international students have the rare opportunity to embrace a new culture, country, and gain a new perspective. He also addressed the other side of the spectrum; the good it can do for the student body.
“Being in this global environment, it’s always beneficial to have somebody who brings the knowledge that is not available here for our domestic students. So it’s always a way for us to learn from each other and try to make the best of what we can get from education,” he said.
About 30 more students are expected to become Roadrunners from overseas next fall.
I liked your story, I learned how many students at Ramapo are international students as well as where they came from and why they came overseas.
Ramapo College of New Jersey sees increase in number of international students