I recently encountered an informal discussion in my microeconomics class regarding the university’s decision to invest more money and resources into recruiting international students and developing international experience programs. One of the main arguments used against these sorts of investments is that by devoting this money and resources to international students, local students might have fewer opportunities to obtain scholarship money and admission spots into universities. The fear is that if two students have similar qualifications but one is international, they would get an offer for admission or scholarships first. Another concern is that international students will go back after they graduate and have their economies compete against the U.S. economy.

I hope it is not too biased to say that making this sort of investment in recruitment is a good decision because of the added value that international students would bring to these institutions. Students from abroad can provide different perspectives and ideas, adding diversity to the classroom setting. Learning about countries and cultures around the world takes on a new meaning when you have someone that is foreign sitting right next to you in class and sharing their experiences.

The concerns about this sort of investment are legitimate and understandable, but refutable as well; the process that international students must go through to study in the U.S. is difficult in and of itself, so providing more scholarships and opportunities would hardly dent the chances that local students have of gaining access to these universities. The amount of scholarship money offered to U.S. residents is higher than that offered to international students, not to mention the option of financial aid and loans.

It is a misconception that international students go back to their home countries and make a lot of money. Many times, they stay in the U.S. for graduate school or find jobs here; this phenomenon is called “brain drain.” If they do go back, they might not have the personnel to make their companies grow enough. Is it really that bad to offer more opportunities for international students? Globalization is upon us and is really an opportunity for the world as a whole to step up and strive to be better.