As you look to identify the best education journey for your students, a pathway option can provide a soft landing approach to U.S. higher education. Our North American International Study Centers (ISC) deliver value to your students and their continued success in academics and in their futures. In the 2019-2020 academic year, 94.6% of our ISC students completed their pathway programs, and 91.5% of students completed the programs with eligibility to progress to their chosen U.S. universities.
From pre-arrival to progression, our ISC teams give dedicated support to your students to ease their transition into a U.S. university and to prepare them for success in their studies and careers. Their work is essential to making a student’s experience valuable. As an example, Soe Yu from Myanmar looked back on her time studying in an ISC upon graduating with her Bachelor of Science in Biotechnology/Pre-Med and said, “Being an ISC student was one of the precious moments. The ISC program definitely helped me a lot.”
ISC team members answer questions about any range of topics and provide resources that students can use for their academic and professional development, as well as for their social growth and wellbeing. Across our North American partners, this support is also shown through our Student Promise:
- Personalized advising: Biweekly advisor meetings to have 1:1 discussions about their progress
- Early academic exposure: Faculty connections in the student’s chosen area of study from Day One
- Setting the stage: Senior university leadership staff outreach to introduce students to the university culture
- Building friendships: ISC-led activities to help students meet their peers, practice their English, and grow individually
- Career support: Career-focused experience in classes, professional meetings, and career preparation activities
These activities support students’ success, as well as foster student satisfaction. In 2019-2020, our North American ISCs reported a student satisfaction rate of more than 86%. Students share that their pathway studies have prepared them and given them the assurance that they can succeed in their academic degrees. For example, Keyu from China is now completing her Master’s degree in Finance and has an internship. She said, “The growth, encouragement, and warmth that the entire program brought me finally made me confidently enter American classes!”