2023-2024 Annual Report

UC offered students from our hometown and from halfway around the world the lifechanging advantage of global education.

• At nearly 10% of the year’s record-breaking enrollment, UC’s international student population was the university’s largest ever. UC ranked at No. 44 in the U.S. for institutions hosting international students this year.
• Study abroad, including faculty-led programs integrated into our curricula, continued a robust return from the global disruptions of COVID, with 1,388 studying abroad.
• Campus and community experts continued to assist UC International to develop a strategic network worldwide, culminating in the signing of our newest institutional partnership in the spring of 2024, with the University of Johannesburg.   

At UC, a first-year class of 1,543 for fall pushed our total international enrollment to 4,899 students, or 9.6% of the student population.

It was the highest number in UC’s history. All told, we hosted 6,276 students, including those participating in Optional Practical Training (OPT) after graduation.

The numbers put UC well ahead of pre-COVID records, with a growth of 20.1% for the 2022-23 academic year and another 17.2% in fall 2023.  

UC’s international students contributed $149.7 million to Ohio's economy and supported1,456 jobs, according to the 2023 NAFSA: Association of International Educators economic value of international students to the U.S. calculator.

• UC’s international students came from 133 countries in fall 2023. More than half of UC's international students are from India, followed by China, Vietnam, Nigeria, Nepal, South Korea, Canada, Iran, Ghana and Taiwan.
• UC’s international students are predominantly graduate students: The ratio has been about 2:1 for many years. Graduate enrollments increased 49.2%, 2018-23.
• Of the top 10 countries sending international students to UC, only Vietnam sent more undergraduates than graduates in fall 2023.

UC students from all walks of life ventured to destinations around the globe.

After high school educations that had been pushed online, more students than ever chose independent, real-world experiences. UC’s partnerships with major global education providers charted paths to take them anywhere they wanted to go

• In 2023-24, 229 students chose external programs, for the first time topping the pre-COVID peak of 218 in 2018-19.
• More than a thousand students traveled with 61 faculty-led programs in 2023-24, taking advantage of course-integrated offerings that increased 13% from the previous year. An additional 68 participated in exchange programs with UC’s global partners.
• Students went to 49 countries, with Italy, Mexico, France, Germany and Spain the most popular destinations.

UC International continued to work on developing core, comprehensive partnerships in strategic regions of the world to support UC’s international research and teaching goals. These key partnerships support longstanding and innovative collaborations.

• We signed a new strategic partnership with the University of Johannesburg in spring 2024 and renewed one of our oldest affiliation agreements, with Future University of Egypt, which invited the UC Bearcat Bands to join our delegation.
• UC developed innovative joint programs with our global partners, including a Study Abroad for Advisors program at Christ University in India to help us better support Indian students at UC; the pilot of a Global Research Experience Program for undergraduate students at our partner universities; and expansion of the University of Rwanda Initiative virtual cardiology training program with the first externs’ visits to Cincinnati.
• Generous donors continued support of the global opportunities UC offers students, with the Hoffman Honors Scholars program and the Luchen Scholarship. A UC delegation traveled to explore partnership at a strategic level with the Luchen-eligible universities in Taiwan.