Bradley University's graduate school programs are seeing a surge of interest from international students. Nearly 800 students applied to graduate programs starting this fall. That's double the applications from a year ago. Doctor Jeff Bakken is dean of Bradley's Graduate School. He says the university stepped-up social media outreach for international students to attract them to the area:
“So we started being more proactive with it in regards to when’s your flight coming in so we can pick you up, do you need housing, are there types of foods you can eat or are acceptable,” Bakken says.
The number of enrolled graduate students increased by more than 30 last spring compared to the year before. Bakken says last year was also the first time Bradley officials traveled overseas to actively recruit international students. He says about 85-percent of international graduate students are from India. Bakken says Bradley is also planning outreach efforts in Taiwan this fall.