Japan, Germany, Antigua, Nigeria, Spain, Latvia. What in the world do all these countries have to do with a small, private college in Iowa?
Surprisingly, Morningside College is home to international students from all of these countries and more. “We have 50 international students from 16 different countries,” says Mary Krejci. So why do so many choose to come to Iowa? Most international students will give you the same answer, money.
Morningside College awards large scholarships to each of its international students. The specific scholarship amount depends on each individual student’s previous grades and plans for athletic involvement.
According to Mary Krejci, who coordinates with international students at Morningside College, each international student receives a minimum amount of $10,000 towards his or her tuition each year. However, many receive at least 75% of their tuition paid for, just for being an international student. Others attend for free.
Although scholarship money is often what draws international students to Morningside College, there are other reasons that they decide to stay.
Fuzuki Ino from Japan enjoys attending a small college because her professors really take care of her. She adds that in Iowa, “people are so nice,” much nicer than people she’s met in other parts of the country, such as Texas, where she attended high school.
Johnathan Jupiter from Antigua also loves the people in Iowa, along with the snow and other seasonal weather we get here.
While international students typically have positive experiences while living in Iowa and attending Morningside College, there are a few changes they would make if they could. Fuzuki wishes there was more public transportation easily available in Sioux City, while Johnathan wishes there were more beaches and an ocean.
When asked if they would consider staying in Iowa after they graduate, most international students agreed that they would not. They’d rather attend grad school and then return to their own countries or live in a larger city if they do decide to stay in America. However, this is not because of negative experiences. Johnathan would consider living in Iowa for some time because he’d “probably want to send his son or daughter to Morningside.”
Overall, international students tend to come for the scholarship money, but stay for the people.