New Model for International High Schools on U.S. College Campuses

With an interest to increase international enrollment, and revenue, some U.S. universities are seeking public-private partnerships to create or host international high schools on their campuses. As reported by Inside Higher Ed, this trends allows students to obtain university credits and a high school diploma simultaneously, while institutions benefit from a new international recruitment pathway.A new business model is emerging, in which public institutions partner with private companies, such as Maple Leaf Educational System or AKD educational Consulting, to operate the high schools on their respective campuses. The dynamic of this partnership consist of either a curriculum for participating students that overlaps with the university’s curriculum, or more of a “host” scenario, where the university leases out facilities to an international high school.As a recent example cited in the article, the University of Southern Maine (USM) started the International Academy, where international students can graduate with a high school degree as well as to receive college credit. In an interview with Inside Higher Ed, President Glenn Cummings stated:

“We’re trying to think about education a little bit differently and looking at models that attract students from around the world to our campus.”

The Kwantlen Polytechnic and Thompson Rivers Universities in Canada already have similar models running while the University of Northern British Columbia is in the process of developing an international high school with a Chinese company. Sal Ferreras, the provost and vice president for academic at Kwantlen Polytechnic, spoke about this relationship:

“These are students [from China] that have achieved a certain amount of English training -- they’re not coming to us raw -- and also are familiar with our system and familiar with British Columbia. We would like to maintain a stronger connection to a large network that would maintain a steady stream of foreign students from this particular country.”

Despite the benefits of the public-private partnership model with international companies, critics of such partnerships question the leasing of public spaces to private for profit international high schools. However, for universities like USM, there is a mutually beneficial cultural enrichment experience between international and domestic students through this program. Furthermore, the partnership also allows the university to attract potential students from markets in which they have limited access.