ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - A local university is one of several receiving high marks for the number of international students it hosts.
According to a new report, Missouri is the 10th most popular destination for international students in the states. The study found that nearly 33,000 students from other countries study in Missouri and add more than $1 billion to the state's economy. Overall, this is an increase of about 35% from last year.
"Certainly, St, Louis is a popular for students as well as Missouri," said Dr. Lisa Blazer, Webster University Vice President of Enrollment Management on KMOX News. "I think some of our colleagues are also in the top five in the state of Missouri so its pretty exciting to be apart of that group."
In that same report, one local university, Webster University, placed seventh among all institutions in the U.S. that confer master’s degrees on the annual list for hosting international students from outside the United States.
This is the third time in a row that Webster has been recognized as a top academic institution for international students, and the first time Webster placed in the top 10.
"(Webster University) is a global institution, we have institutions all over the world ad several here in the United States," said Blazer. "It's part of who we are and how we want to bring students to our campuses."
Blazer says what makes St. Louis and Missouri a popular destination for international students due to it being centrally located in the middle of the country and the cost of living in the state.
"I was just on a international student panel (on Wednesday) and they talked about the fact they come to the US because they can visit every single state and come see everything is different in every single state," said Blazer.
"I also think international students are paying attention to the cost of living of where they are going to study. I think St. Louis is very reasonable when it comes to rent, food and all the resources they need."