North­eastern Uni­ver­sity is the nation’s sixth most pop­ular higher edu­ca­tion des­ti­na­tion among inter­na­tional stu­dents from all over the world, according to the Insti­tute of Inter­na­tional Education’s annual Open Doors Report.

The census was released last month and was based on a 2011-​​12 aca­d­emic year stu­dent enroll­ment survey of approx­i­mately 3,000 accred­ited U.S. insti­tu­tions. The report’s data includes a tally of inter­na­tional stu­dents who have grad­u­ated within the last two years and still have a valid stu­dent visa.

Inter­na­tional stu­dent enroll­ment at North­eastern has increased dra­mat­i­cally over the last sev­eral years. More than 6,300 inter­na­tional stu­dents from more than 140 coun­tries world­wide are cur­rently enrolled, a figure that rep­re­sents a 15 per­cent increase from last year and a 165 per­cent increase from five years ago.

“Inter­na­tional stu­dents are increas­ingly rec­og­nizing the rep­u­ta­tion and flex­i­bility of a North­eastern edu­ca­tion,” said Ronne Patrick Turner, the university’s asso­ciate vice pres­i­dent of enrollment.

She praised Northeastern’s inter­na­tional stu­dent body for bringing a global per­spec­tive to the class­room and campus com­mu­nity, saying, “We want to develop global cit­i­zens and create an exchange of ideas about the world.”

Shuntaro Okuzawa, a Tokyo native and fourth-​​year stu­dent in the Col­lege of Engi­neering, agreed with Turner’s assess­ment of the edu­ca­tional and social value of building a robust inter­na­tional stu­dent community.

Exchanging cul­tural and social beliefs, he explained, “cre­ates an oppor­tu­nity for U.S. and inter­na­tional stu­dents to learn more about each other and under­stand their differences.”

Shuntaro chose North­eastern for a chance to par­tic­i­pate in the university’s sig­na­ture expe­ri­en­tial edu­ca­tion pro­gram, which includes co-​​op, study abroad and Dia­logue of Civ­i­liza­tions pro­grams in 92 coun­tries around the world.

He noted that his co-​​op expe­ri­ence as a project man­ager for IBM’s branch in the Philip­pines has pre­pared him to suc­ceed in any working envi­ron­ment. “I really believe in the inte­gra­tion of class­room knowl­edge and real-​​world expe­ri­ence,” Shuntaro said. “Working within a large cor­po­ra­tion requires you to be assertive, plan ahead and com­mu­ni­cate effectively.”

Northeastern University (NU) Global is committed to providing undergraduate and graduate students with an international education through its innovative pathway programs which equip students with the skills they need to be successful in an American classroom; student support through cross-cultural, linguistic, and academic services; and global degree program offerings.