Nigerians our largest international students population — American varsity

Paul Sargent, Director of International Student Admissions and Programmes at the University of West Georgia, U.S. says Nigerians make up the institution’s largest international students population.

Sargent said this on Wednesday, during a virtual university showcase, organised by the EducationUSA section of the U.S. mission in Nigeria to explore the different educational opportunities available to students in U.S. institutions.

He said that the university, located in Carrollton city, had students from 63 different countries, including many from Nigeria, noting that the current president for the International Student Club was a Nigerian.

According to him, the university prides itself on the educational quality it provides to students and has students who come from different backgrounds and many different experiences.

Sargent said that after studying, over 70 per cent of international students left West Georgia with some career experience in the form of either working on campus, or with off campus internships.

“We do have nine different research centers on campus and enhance the technology in our classrooms considerably.

“The university also focuses on providing a good interaction opportunity with professors with about a 19 to one student to faculty ratio, which is quite good for America.”

He said that a lot of international students were unaware of their eligibility for study abroad opportunities, adding that, the university had such programmes especially at the undergraduate level.

According to him, the university is a low cost option with an average of 12,000 to 16,000 dollars as cost of tuition for international students and other scholarships students can apply for to cover costs.

Speaking on the recent Supreme Court ruling on diversity, Sargent said the decision would not have much of an impact on the university’s international students.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that on June 29, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that U.S. colleges and universities could no longer use race as a specific basis in admissions.

Sargent said that race had never been a part of the application process for the institution and its demographics was already a little bit different than most American universities, noting that, it was a diverse university.

He also said that the university was best suited for students who were independent, strong academically and looking for an affordable opportunity.

“Our top three unique aspects are that we are a rural campus with small class sizes but a larger campus as a whole, so it gives you a great opportunity to develop leadership skills.

“We have lots of clubs and activities where students can be leaders and the financial aspect is also important for some students.

“University of West Georgia is one of the affordable options for students and we offer great scholarship opportunities which makes it a stellar option for students on a budget,” he said.