Webster University Welcomes 3,000 International Students for Fall 2021

This fall Webster University’s global network includes over 3,000 students representing 138 different nationalities. Among them are students of 35 nationalities at the Webster Groves main campus, where Webster was founded in the St. Louis suburbs in 1915. Including transfer students, 80 international students are studying at this campus for the first time in fall 2021.

These students were welcomed by President Julian Z. Schuster during International Student Orientation in late August. “If you want to learn about other cultures, habits, challenges, and opportunities that exist, then you came to the right place,” President Schuster said.

Students come to Webster locations in the United States from abroad for both undergraduate and graduate programs, including but not limited to MBA, cybersecurity, information technology and Analytics, management, international relations, arts and communications. Outside of St. Louis, the locations in Orlando, Florida and Irvine, California are attracting a diverse student body particularly interested in the MBA, Cybersecurity and Information Technology Management programs.

Diversity and Inclusion is a core value at Webster, and the presence of international students at U.S. locations provides a critical aspect for that mission and the goal of providing a transformative opportunity to become global citizens.

While the pandemic and other factors have affected international students’ access to U.S. colleges and universities, Webster launched several strategic initiatives to make that dream possible for these students.

An Online Pathway Program was created to allow international students to enroll into programs while waiting for the travel situation to improve. The University also worked closely with the Department of State and Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) to ensure Webster’s online and hybrid platforms are compliant with visa requirements for international students. During the pandemic, Webster also launched scholarship programs to support international students who chose to study in the United States at Webster’s St. Louis, Irvine and Orlando locations.

These complement existing programs that support international students, including the Multicultural Center and International Student Affairs (MCISA), which cultivates cultural exchange and community for students on campus, and the Career Planning and Development Center, which has a variety of offerings to help students plan ahead to advance international careers.

Nearly 90 percent of Webster’s international students in the U.S. over the past three years have taken advantage of career opportunities that connect them with businesses and enterprises in St. Louis and other parts of the USA.

“We emphasize to these students that not only does Webster have a lot to offer, but so too does St. Louis,” said Samrat Ray Chaudhuri, director of global recruitment. “The city is a gateway to seeing the rest of America, and studying here creates many paths for exploration and learning throughout the rest of the United States.”