EWU seeks more foreign students

In an effort to increase numbers of international students, Eastern Washington University is developing an agreement with a west-side community college that serves a large population of foreign students.

Under an agreement with Bellevue Community College, qualifying international students will be able to obtain guaranteed admission to EWU while attending the two-year college.

The agreement is intended to help international students obtain a visa for study in the United States.

Like all public colleges in Washington, EWU saw a dramatic dip in the enrollment of foreign students after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. EWU’s board of trustees approved a university initiative last year to recover the lost numbers, which account for thousands of dollars in out-of-state tuition.

Numbers from the state Board for Community & Technical Colleges show the state’s peak of community college international students was reached in the fall of 2001 with 4,187 international students. In the fall of 2003, the number had dropped to 3,667.

In the fall of 2003, Bellevue Community College had enrolled 367 international students, the third-highest number in Washington behind Edmonds Community College and Shoreline Community College, according to state board spokeswoman Lorna Sutton.

In Spokane, the combined community college international student population was under 100, with 34 at Spokane Community College and 62 at Spokane Falls Community College.

In the past, EWU has worked with Bellevue Community College to offer two bachelor’s degrees on the Bellevue campus.