Anna Maria College, Illinois College and New England College are the three newest US institutions that have been officially launched on the Accelerate platform so far. Recruitment partners are now able to promote these institutions to international students and find those with the right fit. Learn more about these American institutions below.

 

Anna Maria College 
Anna Maria College is located in Paxton, Massachusetts, USA. It provides quality academic programs that combine a liberal arts education with real-life career preparation. The small student-faculty ratio allows for a highly personalised learning experience and optimal student involvement. 

Students are treated as professionals-in-training from day one. Anna Maria College's programs are specifically designed to provide students with strong practical skills and connect them to professional opportunities.

Some highlights:

• The Career and Leadership Center, Diversity & Inclusion Office, Student Success Center and other services prepare students to transform the world as an ethical leader and community-oriented professional
• Graduate programs offer benefits such as small classes, opportunities for interaction and learning, and, most importantly, faculty members who are hand-picked for their high levels of education and professional expertise
• Programs are designed to provide students with strong practical skills and to connect them with professional opportunities like internships. 

 

Illinois College
Illinois College is a liberal arts college that delivers exceptional yet affordable education in a safe and beautiful campus. More than 40 programs are offered to international students. Illinois College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association. It ranks #140 in the U.S. News and World Report’s 2021 Best Colleges rankings.

Some highlights:

• Washington Monthly’s 2020 Liberal Arts Colleges Ranking placed Illinois College at #56 based on its “contribution to the public good in three broad categories: social mobility, research, and promoting public service.”
• One of “The Best Colleges in America, Ranked by Value” for 2020 according to Money. IC received strong scores for value, affordability and quality
• Illinois College was also named one of the best colleges in the Midwest in The Princeton Review’s 2021 Best Colleges: Region by Region
• International student scholarships are available, ranging from USD 20,000 to USD 23,000 per year.

 

New England College
New England College is a creative, diverse, and supportive learning community that offers experiential education and innovative academic programs. International students have over 70 programs to choose from across art & design, education, humanities, management & business, the natural sciences and social science. There is a suitable program for any student no matter their future aspirations or dreams. Students also enjoy internship opportunities to access real-world, hands-on training.

Some highlights:

• Provides flexibility on admission requirements to accommodate the academic differences of each country and to recognise the achievements of international students
• Students have benefitted from over 1,000 internship opportunities, ongoing access to real-world experience, and hands-on training through active collaboration with industry partners and career counselling services
• Several on-campus residence halls offering a variety of accommodation and rates
• Student can choose among 40 student organisations. They also have access to support services like the Office of Career & Life Planning Centre.
   

The International Student Barometer, a global benchmark of the international student experience, reports in its latest study that the percentage of international students who are satisfied with the University of Nebraska­–Lincoln’s point-of-arrival experience has grown from 69% to 92% in just four years.

This was since 2015 when the International Student Welcome Team was organised. This year’s team is comprised of 29 international student mentors from 10 countries speaking 15 different languages. The team greeted 115 of the 270 incoming international students at the Lincoln airport between the August 18-20 arrival dates for the Fall 2019 intake.

The high rating is also reflected in the students’ feedback during the orientation where 94.6% of international students either agreed or strongly agreed to feeling welcomed when arriving in Lincoln and 96.5% were either very satisfied or satisfied with the university’s formal welcome.

Aside from meeting the University of Nebraska­–Lincoln’s incoming students at the Lincoln airport, the ISW team shuttles them to campus and assists them in getting to their hotel or off-campus accommodation.

Shridula Hegde, who arrived from India in 2016, has this to say: “The university greeting team was amazing and comforting. It was the perfect way to start my Nebraska experience.”  She adds that the transition to college life can be difficult especially for international students who are so far from the comforts of home and family. “I know first-hand how big of an impact Nebraska’s welcome and orientation programs can have on students. I can’t think of anything more awesome than helping new students feel as welcomed as I did when I arrived in Nebraska,” adds Shridula who is now an International Student Welcome team mentor herself.

Incoming Freshman Computer Science Simon Chen from China is happy with his welcome experience. “I’ve travelled for 22 hours to get here and it really means a lot that the University was here to meet us.  I like that we do not have to worry about how we are going to get to campus. It will help me focus on school,” he says.

Incoming Sociology Major Katie Brooks from Australia shares her own experience. “It was a long flight – I left at 9 a.m. yesterday and it’s now noon tomorrow back home. Getting to Omaha would have been much easier. But knowing that I could land here and not worry about getting to campus was worth the extra time. This welcome has been even better than I expected.”

This article was first published on the UNL website.

Times Higher Education (THE) cites the University of Maryland, Baltimore County as a model for supporting student achievement by graduating more low-income and minority students in the sciences, referring to this strength as ‘the holy grail of academia.’

UMBC President Freeman Hrabowski calls it ‘inclusive excellence.’ The University’s work to support underrepresented students in STEM fields has led to investments in support programs for students of all majors across UMBC. “Everybody wants to understand our model,” he says. He qualifies that the lessons learned in one area can inform on another. So far, the University has been replicating its efforts university-wide to achieve greater impact.

THE points out that UMBC’s Meyerhoff Scholarship Program, which is focused on minority scholarship and awareness in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), is considered the gold standard in supporting diverse students in STEM fields. UMBC is the #1 producer of African American undergraduates who go on to complete postgraduate degrees and #2 for African American undergraduates who complete a doctoral degree in any STEM field in the United States. The program is serving as a model for other U.S. universities following suit, according to Times Higher Education.

UMBC ranked a leading global and U.S. university yet again

Times Higher Education and Wall Street Journal named the University of Maryland, Baltimore County a leading global and U.S. university. This came on the heels of the 2020 U.S. News & World Report ranking UMBC as one of the nation’s top universities for teaching and innovation. 

The Times Higher Education (THE) and Wall Street Journal College Rankings 2020 note that UMBC performs particularly well in student outcomes and learning environment. Outcomes include factors such as graduate salary, university reputation and graduation rate. Environment includes faculty and student diversity, international students and student inclusion.

The 2020 THE World University Rankings recognises UMBC as among the top 800 universities worldwide and #130 among U.S. universities, performing highly in faculty research and citation impact.

International students from China, India, Colombia, Nigeria and a few other countries all agree that one of the main reasons why they study at Stevens Institute of Technology is to gain valuable post-graduation work experience through the Optional Practical Training (OPT).

With two of its three Academic schools offering graduate programs that are OPT STEM eligible plus strong partnerships with industry and government, a master’s degree at Stevens is a valuable commodity. “Stevens graduates with significant work experience from a U.S. company often present themselves with a competitive advantage when finally going back to their home countries,” says Brent Schmoker, EduCo’s Director of Recruitment for USA. “Some students even find themselves offered more permanent professional opportunities and work sponsorships. This gives them an option to stay in the country longer and earn a higher salary than what they would get back home,” adds Brent.

The OPT is an off-campus work authorisation allowing F-1 visa holders to gain relevant work experience in the U.S. during or after their studies. Students must be able to meet certain eligibility requirements such as:

• Full-time study for at least one year
• Intended employment must be relevant to the student’s major. A job offer is not needed to apply for OPT
• Students can apply for OPT before or after completion of studies. For pre-completion of studies application, Stevens suggests that students should only do so when they are “as sure as possible of a job”
• For post-completion OPT, students can lodge the application as early as 90 days before they complete their program of study and not later than 60 days after
• Students who have used 12 months of the Curricular Practical Training (CPT) are not eligible to apply for the OPT
• Graduate students must have a GPA of at least 3.0 if applying for a pre-completion OPT.

Stevens’ Career Centre, awarded #11 Best Career Placement by the Princeton Review in 2020, partners with many highly regarded companies and hosts three on-campus Career Fairs each year. This year, all Career Fairs have been moved online and two of the three virtual fairs focuses on connecting current students with internship opportunities. On-campus recruiting where employers can set their own recruitment dates are also a regular feature at the Career Centre.

Stevens’ recognition as a top-ranked institution in the US, its reputation for producing the finest engineering, science and business talent and the Career Centre’s ability in preparing students and helping them access opportunities have all contributed to successful Stevens graduates. Its global reputation also means that many graduate students come from all parts of the world. The nationality mix provides an exciting diversity to its compact, close-knit graduate community. Yet another reason why Stevens Institute of Technology is one of the most sought-after institutions to complete a master’s degree.

Find a Stevens graduate program here.