At the end of October, LSU will be joining eight other SEC universities for a week-long recruitment initiative focused in Senegal and Ghana. LSU is leading the recruitment effort in Africa. 

While in Africa, several SEC officials will visit educational institutions to speak with prospective students and host informational sessions. 

Meetings between officials and U.S. Ambassadors in Ghana and Senegal are also planned. 

SEC universities are looking to sub-Saharan Africa for student recruitment for a multitude of reasons.

According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, student mobility is globally highest in sub-Saharan Africa, with African students showing great interest in studying in the United States.

At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, international student enrollment dropped by 15%, but the enrollment numbers of students from sub-Saharan Africa dropped by only 6%, according to an August study by the Institute of International Education. 

At LSU, there were 1,464 enrolled international students, according to data from the university’s fall 2021 International Services Annual Report, with the top countries represented being China, India and Bangladesh. 

Samba Dieng is the senior international officer and executive director of the project. Dieng says that the interest in student recruitment from African countries comes as an attempt to diversify the university’s international student population. 

The COVID-19 pandemic halted international recruitment numbers, especially among prospective students from China. According to Dieng, at the start of the pandemic, recruitment numbers of Chinese students dropped dramatically.

“Essentially, what we learned from COVID is that we should not put all of our eggs in one basket,” Dieng said. 

He cited a multitude of reasons for looking to Africa for potential student recruitment, including growth of youth numbers in Africa, interest in higher education and students familiarity with Louisiana.

According to Dieng, many students from Africa favor the South due to a familiar climate with some of their countries of origin, which makes the transition easier.

“Some come to LSU because they have sort of ties to the region,” Dieng said. “Family members or things like that might also be a reason why they are coming down here.”

Interest from African students and the growth in numbers in the region, Dieng said, “makes Africa the clear choice as a reliable market for international student recruitment.”

Ritu Ghose, a current doctorate candidate studying geophysics and the president of the International Student Association, said that LSU diversifying its international student population is a step in the right direction for making campus more inclusive. 

Ghose believes that diversifying the international student population will promote inclusion and interaction between domestic and international student populations, a step she believes is important in making international students feel more welcome on campus.

“I think that if LSU recruits more international students, that means that the international student body will be a large one. More students will come and then that student body can work to change policies,” Ghose said. “The culture will change eventually, but if the number is very short, LSU is never going to be a diverse university.”

Ghose is originally from Bangladesh, and after studying in Ohio made the choice to work on her P.h.D. at LSU. She said that more diversity amongst international students is a positive thing.

“I think that if LSU recruits more international students, that means that the international student body will be a large one. More students will come and then that student body can work to change policies,” Ghose said. “The culture will change eventually, but if the number is very short, LSU is never going to be a diverse university.”