The Institute of International Education (IIE) and the Department of State work together to produce the annual Open Doors Report. This report is a “comprehensive information resource on international students and scholars studying or teaching at higher education institutions in the United States, and U.S. students studying abroad for academic credit at their home colleges or universities.” While the data is interesting to anyone in the field, school officials can use it to conduct their annual planning. According to IIE, using Open Doors data can help you understand U.S. trends, such as where students come from and what they study.

You also can use this information to benchmark your own progress and planning by comparing the students who enroll at your school to those who enroll at other schools. The report is especially helpful because officials at each school type can evaluate that school against similar schools. For example, officials at small community colleges can see what other community colleges are doing instead of looking only at numbers of large, four-year institutions who may enroll the highest amounts of F students. 

IIE also suggests that you use their information to talk about international education on your campus. For example, you can discuss the economic benefits F and M students bring to the United States and to your local communities. You can tell colleagues about how they provide cultural benefits to U.S. classmates and how much they contribute to efforts (like research) on your campus.

If you would like to know more about prospective students who may enroll at your school, use Open Doors data with other sources to learn about such students and what effect they can have on your campus. You can also view annual surveys published by the Council of Graduate Schools or Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Remember that Study in the States and the Student and Exchange Visitor Program are helpful resources to understanding the Department of Homeland Security regulations and requirements that come with enrolling international students.

Source:

• Nine Ways to Use Open Doors^® Data for International Enrollment Planning; Institute of International Education