International enrollment dips; board asks for verification of data and financial impacts

The board heard an update on international student enrollments from Joyce Hammer and Travis Delaney, who said international programs remain an important source of campus diversity and (for some colleges) revenue, but new student enrollments are falling.

Hammer summarized program features and costs: international students typically pay a nonresident tuition rate; presenters cited a representative annual charge of about $11,232.55 for 45 credits (three quarters) compared with the resident rate cited in the presentation. She said some colleges (Green River, Seattle Central, Edmonds) historically enrolled large international cohorts and that those campuses are more exposed to revenue swings.

Board members asked whether the chart and table in the packet showed the same numbers; staff acknowledged a mismatch and said they would verify the figures and provide a corrected brief. At one point the board discussed a roughly 30–40% decline in some indicators for the most recent year; staff said they would supply a clearer set of measures (headcount, FTE, new versus continuing students) in follow‑up materials.

Board members and staff noted multiple drivers for enrollment changes: COVID‑era disruptions, visa processing, increased international recruitment by other countries and institutions, and localized factors such as campus program mix. Staff said many colleges are diversifying recruiting countries (Vietnam, China, Japan, Korea, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan were listed among top sending countries) and that systemwide data requests are in process.

The board requested more granular, disaggregated data and clarification on headcount versus FTE figures presented on the slide deck.