Numerous institutions list hosting and recruiting international students as an important aspect of their internationalization mission. Reasons include the financial benefit to the institution and the local economy; job creation; recruitment of high-quality graduate assistants; increased diversity in the classroom and on campus; and creating international partnerships. However, new changes to immigration laws in the USA have had a negative impact on international college student enrollment. The purpose of this case study is to integrate the Hossler and Gallagher (1987) three-phase model of college student choice with the push and pull factors relating to how international students choose US colleges, to arrive at a descriptive understanding of how international students make their college choice decision.
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