College of the Rockies number one with international students again

College of the Rockies President and CEO David Walls shares the International Student Barometer survey results with a crowd of staff and students at a celebration held on Wednesday, April 9.

How does College of the Rockies improve on being the number one institution in Canada for international students? By becoming number one in the world! The results of the 2013 International Student Barometer were recently released and, for the second year in a row, the College had reason to celebrate.

Conducted by the International Graduate Insight Group (i-graduate) the International Student Barometer is the largest annual survey of international students in the world. It covers four benchmarks – arrival experience, learning, living and support. Feedback was gathered from almost 150,000 international students from 176 post-secondary institutions in 13 countries world-wide. Eighty-five percent of College of the Rockies’ international students responded to the survey.

College of the Rockies’ Executive Director, International and Regional Development Patricia Bowron says, “This is an incredible honour for the College, to come out as first in Canada last year and now to be ranked first both in Canada and in the world for overall student satisfaction. It was great to be able to see how our results fared against some of the most well-regarded post-secondary institutions in Canada and abroad.”

“We work hard to serve our students and we are really pleased that they regard all aspects of the College so positively. We take part in this survey primarily to get honest and constructive feedback so that we can better serve our students. A ranking like this is really a bonus for us.”

College of the Rockies ranked first in Canada and internationally in arrival experience, with registration, accommodation and orientation to the local area all garnering top honours. Program organization also came in at number one along with learning support, teaching and lecture quality. Additionally, international students gave the social activities offered by the College and the cost of accommodations top ratings.

Support was another area in which the College was highly ranked with the cafeteria, operated by Pita Wrapbit, and the International and Student Services departments all leading the pack.

Annually, the College welcomes approximately 200 international students with the vast majority attending the Cranbrook main campus. In 2013 – 2014 academic year, the College welcomed its most diverse international student population, with students coming from 33 different countries taking a variety of programs including business, tourism and English.

“The College’s high rankings for a second year in a row are a team effort. It is great to work at an institution where our employees have such a strong commitment to student success. We held a small celebration on April 9 with College staff and students to thank them for all they do to help make College of the Rockies a great place to be,” Bowron continues.

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