There are more than 1,000 international students from more than 70 countries studying at UND. Source: UND Student Body Profile 2013-2014.

The number of international students studying in America increased significantly from last school year — though not at UND.

According to new findings from Pew Research, the number of international students increased by 7 percent to 819,644 during the 2012-2013 school year — 55,149 more than the year before.

However, UND has not followed the same trend.

“We have about 1,000 international students this year,” Director of International Programs Ray Lagasse said. “In the past two to three years, the numbers have stayed the same, but they dramatically increased four years ago because of the flight programs.”

UND’s world-class aviation programs are one attraction for students from around the world. Lagasse said petroleum engineering is another popular option because North Dakota’s oil boom offers a good application for learning.

China is the country most represented on campus with 250 undergraduate and graduate students. Canada and Saudi Arabia are the next highest, with 180 and 90, respectively, according to Lagasse and campus data.

In the Pew Research study, China was also the leading source of international students in the US with 235,597 students, or 28.7 percent of the total. The next highest sources are India (11.8 percent), South Korea (8.6 percentage). and Saudi Arabia (5.4 percent).

Bassam Alqahtani, a freshman from Saudi Arabia double majoring in mechanical engineering and commercial aviation, said a sponsor from back home recommended he come to UND.

“My sponsor sent me here because of the programs, and I got a scholarship as well.” Alqahtani said. “I would encourage friends or my kids in the future to study abroad.”

Lagasse said in addition to academic programs, international students commonly hear about UND by word of mouth.

“If someone knows students or faculty that are here, they will be more likely to come,” Lagasse said. “This is similar with domestic students, too.”

He thought UND could actually make more effort to advertise.

“I think we need to get our brand out — it is already in different markets, but we need to do that strategically in different parts of the world. Many other institutions have international recruiters, but we don’t. Part of that is cost – it’s not a simple two-hour drive, so there is added expense and more time spent.”

However, this does not mean the university doesn’t care about recruiting international students.

“Our office is a good supporter of representation from around the world. It adds to the quality of education and the experience for all students,” Lagasse said. “I hope the numbers go up, because, currently, our international population is less than 10 percent. If we want to reflect the world we live in more accurately, we need a better representation of other countries.”

Emmy Erbes is a staff writer for The Dakota Student. She can be reached at [email protected].