International Student Body
Video: International Definitions at Wesleyan
International Student Definitions
The community at Wesleyan is inclusive of various definitions of the term “international student” when providing support and programming.- Wesleyan's "narrow" vs "broad" definitions of international students
- Narrow Definition: All citizenships other than the United States (non-U.S. citizens or non-U.S. permanent residents). These are students who will need to undergo the visa process to enter the United States.
- Broad Definition: Narrow definition plus U.S. citizens and U.S. permanent residents who went to school outside of the United States. Growing up outside of the United States brings another perspective to the international community. The broad definition also includes Third Culture Kids (also known as Global Nomads and/or Cross-Cultural Kids) – a person who grew up in one or more countries outside their passport country, and having been raised in a foreign culture, created a third culture, or a mixture of the two.
- U.S. government definitions
- U.S. Citizen: One who was born in United States territory, or to a parent or parents with U.S. citizenship at the time of birth; or, status granted through the naturalization process.
- Dual Citizen: A citizen of two countries at the same time.
- Permanent Resident of the United States: Any person not a citizen of the United States who is residing in the U.S. under legally recognized and lawfully recorded permanent residence as an immigrant. Also known as “Permanent Resident Alien,” “Lawful Permanent Resident,” “Resident Alien Permit Holder,” and “Green Card Holder.”
Infographic: Wes International Students at a Glance
- Wesleyan is home to 466 international students that comprise 14,32% of the total student body
- Total 335 students in F-1 Status:
- Undergrad (280)
- Graduate (50)
- Visiting (5)
- 131 self-identifying international students who are American citizens/permanent residents and dual citizens
- Representing 60+ countries in the world, mostly from:
- China (113)
- India (21)
- Hong-Kong (13)
- Popular majors:
- for Undergrad: Economics (40), Comuter Science (21), Psychology (19), English Language (13), Mathematics (11), Political Science (11), East Asian Studies (10
- for Graduate: Ethnomusicology (13), Physics (10), Molecular Biology & Biochemistry (9)
- Languages:
- 43+ languages represented
- 69% of F-1 students are ELLs (English Language Learners)
- 92% of F-1 students speak at least 2 languages
- Financial Aid:
- 25% of international students (84) receive financial aid
- Average financial aid for international non-resident students is $83,185 annualy
- Employment after Wes:
- Currently, 146 Wes International Alumni are employed in the US on OPT (81) and STEM OPT (65) authorization
- Their education level: Bachelor's (131), Master's (7), Doctorate (8)