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2006
Fall American Education Fair South Korea Now Number One Source of International Students in the USA Report Contents: Pre-Fair Orientation: Korean Student Market Status On the morning of Saturday, September 23rd, U.S. Embassy consular official Mr. Wayne Crawford provided a briefing for the American education delegation at the Oakwood Premier Hotel in Seoul. Speaking at the invitation of AIEF, Mr. Crawford pointed out that the student visa refusal rate in Korea is very low, around 2 percent; however, in many cases the refusal is only temporary, pending the submission of additional information. Crawford confirmed that South Korea is now the leading source of international students studying in the United States. He further noted that Korean students currently comprise 13.8 percent of all international students enrolled in American colleges and universities. Mr. Stephen Smith from AIEF’s Washington, D.C., office presented data on Korean students’ interests from the 2006 Spring Fair. The data indicates that, of those students who completed the survey, 45.2% were interested in studying abroad for a degree, 30.8% were interested in language courses, and around 24% were interested in going to the USA for leisure & tourism, internships, and others reasons. Smith also mentioned that the Korean Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development is encouraging increased cooperation between Korean and foreign universities. The Ministry plans to revise the current higher education law to allow individual universities to set their own regulations concerning the recognition of credits earned overseas, Smith said. Current laws allow recognition of only ½ of foreign-earned credits. The new law could be in effect next year, according to Smith.
Taking place on September 23-24, the 2006 Fall American Education Fair was the main attraction at the Korea Student Fair during the two-day event at COEX in Seoul. Overall attendance at the Student Fair was estimated at over 30,000, with over 5,200 fairgoers visiting the AIEF booth at the American Pavilion. The AIEF booth saw brisk business, as many Korean students and parents stopped by for free guidance about studying in the USA.
The American Pavilion was again located in an optimal position to the left of the main entrance to the Korea Student Fair exhibition area at COEX in Seoul. Reserved exclusively for authorized U.S. school representatives, the American Pavilion was decorated with a red, white and blue motif. In addition to directing student traffic, AIEF’s staff also offered free on-site counseling at the AIEF booth. Representatives from the U.S. Embassy and the Fulbright office in Korea kindly volunteered to answer questions posed by the public at their respective booths, provided on a complimentary basis by AIEF. At no additional charge to the American Education Fair exhibitors, AIEF arranged for interpreters from Korean colleges and universities to translate for each of the participating American schools. AIEF provided Korean-language signs at every booth within the American Pavilion to introduce the essential facts about each institution in a format that was easily understood by the local fairgoers
Free color maps of the U.S., printed by AIEF, were distributed to the American Pavilion’s visitors to help them easily locate where the participating institutions are situated geographically within the United States. AIEF would like to express special thanks to Costco-Seoul for providing refreshments, which were distributed to visitors of the American Pavilion. A series of seminars for students was offered in conjunction with the Seoul Fair. U.S. Embassy consular officers Mr. Benjamin Le Roy and Mr. Brad Roberson informed students about the student visa application process. Fulbright representatives addressed the challenges of the iBT TOEFL for Korean students. Several U.S. school representatives offered informative presentations about their institutions to prospective students.
AIEF’s Student Tracking System Pre-Fair registration was offered as a service to students, and visitors to the American Pavilion were encouraged to register their educational goals and contact details in AIEF’s student tracking system. The registered student data will be entered into an AIEF computer database and will be distributed at the end of October to schools that participated in the fair.
Following the conclusion of the first day of the fair, American Education Fair participants were treated to an evening of traditional Korean dishes and spirits at the Si Gul Jip (Country House) restaurant near COEX. In an atmosphere of cordial hospitality, KTF president Mr. Hongyu Lee, co-host of the dinner, proposed a toast to wish everyone success at the fair. The evening provided a relaxing environment for the American Education Fair participants after a long, but productive, day’s work.
Registration is now open for AIEF’s 2007 Spring American Education Fairs in Asia. The Spring Fair schedule is as follows: Singapore – March 22
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