Fanshawe Scores Big on International Student Stage

Fanshawe has ranked number two in student satisfaction in an international survey...

Participating for the first time in an international student survey (the International Student Barometer Autumn 2010) which gathered feedback from more than 200 colleges and universities around the world, Fanshawe College has ranked number two in international student satisfaction. Among the six Ontario community colleges that participated in the survey, Fanshawe ranked first. International students at the College were particularly satisfied with its facilities, the quality of the learning experience, and the comprehensive student services.

Fanshawe's President, Dr. Howard Rundle is delighted with the results. "A key component of Fanshawe's Strategic Plan is to grow our international student population and these survey results show that Fanshawe programs and services rank as world class according to students from around the world." Dr. Rundle also credits the City of London as having a major role in attracting and retaining international students. "Clearly, international students receive a warm welcome to our city and feel comfortable here and that's a major factor in student satisfaction" says Rundle.

Manager of International Partnerships, Wendy Curtis, says the survey data will be vital to the future of international programming at Fanshawe. "As a result of this survey, Fanshawe now has detailed data about our international students, their demographics, satisfaction measurements, graduate outcomes and views on education at Fanshawe. We will use this data to develop improved ways to recruit, retain and serve this increasingly important group of students."

Fanshawe currently enrolls more than 800 international students each year.

Ontario's Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities funded the survey to provide Ontario's post- secondary institutions with comprehensive market intelligence and data on international students. The Ontario government has established a target to increase international student enrolment in the province by 50 percent over the next five years as part of the government's "Open Ontario " plan.