The annual International Student Services statistical report showed a record-high 436 international students at St. Thomas, a number that has increased for the past five years.

St. Thomas’ total international enrollment has increased 44 percent since 2008. Saudi Arabia, which has been the most represented country at St. Thomas for the past three years, has 121 students at St. Thomas, followed by China, India, Uganda and Canada.

Director of International Admissions Christina Hilpipre-Frischman said the overall upward trend is expected to continue.

“We started intentionally recruiting undergraduate students in 2006,” Hilpipre-Frischman said. “It takes a number of years to build up the success of that, and now we’re finally seeing the fruits of all of that labor.”

According to Hilpipre-Frischman, the graduate school increase is partially due to undergraduates continuing schooling. The university’s marketing efforts in foreign countries has also played a role.

“Even if it’s not someone who we meet when we’re on our recruiting trip, they may now start hearing University of St. Thomas’ name because we’re in the newspaper, and we’re on the websites,” Hilpipre-Frischman said.

As of fall 2013, international students account for 4.2 percent of St. Thomas’ total population, and Hilpipre-Frischman said there is an unofficial goal to reach 5 percent within the next couple of years.

“We hope to have 5 to 10 percent international enrollment soon and then to surpass that in years to come,” Hilpipre-Frischman said.

Hilpipre-Frischman also said that as the program grows, word-of-mouth begins to increase potential student interest.

“A lot of those students come here because friends or family told them about St. Thomas, so it’s kind of referrals,” Hilpipre-Frischman said. “They’re kind of doing the recruiting for us.”

Director of International Student Services Lori Friedman said international students’ satisfaction rate also keeps the numbers high.

“Our (undergraduate) retention rate is 94 percent this year, so that is something to boast about because people are coming and staying,” Friedman said.

Sophomore Abueno “Natacha” Eguida, an international student from Togo, West Africa, said St. Thomas’ international programs, good education and abundant resources are what keep her coming back.

“I think (St. Thomas) will prepare me well for my future life, educationally and socially,” Eguida said.

Friedman said one of the benefits of having international students at St. Thomas is heightened critical thinking skills, a value included in the university’s mission statement.

“It definitely allows all students to think critically about diverse perspectives while becoming global citizens,” Friedman said. “When they graduate and enter the global marketplace, they’re probably going to be working with people from all different backgrounds.”

Eguida said she hopes to teach American students about the diversity and complexity of African culture while studying at St. Thomas.

“Usually African countries are described through their villages. My goal is to teach (St.Thomas) students that there are also modern parts that look nothing like what they imagine,” she said.

Krzysztof Walczak, a sophomore from Poland, said St. Thomas’ quality education is what attracted him.

“Just finishing American college will open a lot of doors in my country,” Walczak said. “We value American higher education a lot.”

Friedman and Hilpipre-Frischman said, ultimately, everyone wins with a diverse student body.

“We have so many international students who want to build friendships with American students, and we have so many programs to offer U.S. students interested in having an international experience,” Friedman said.

“It’s not just about the experience of the international student,” Hilpipre-Frischman said. “It’s the entire campus community becoming internationally minded.”

Molly Sigler can be reached at sigl1215@stthomas.edu.