Incoming students arrived from 40 countries in fall 2011, with the biggest gains coming from China. Overall, Thunderbird welcomed 36 Chinese students in its various degree programs, a 64 percent increase from fall 2010. When combined with returning students, Thunderbird has 63 Chinese students — a 54 percent increase from fall 2010.
“I made friends in less than half a month,” said incoming Chinese student Ji Chen ’12. “So I feel welcomed, and I feel at home.”
Despite the gains, China still lags behind the United States, Mexico and India in total enrollment. Thunderbird welcomed 180 new students from the United States, 82 from Mexico and 61 from India in fall 2011. All but four incoming Mexican students participate in the Global MBA for Latin American Managers program.
Overall enrollment declined from 1,286 in fall 2010 to 1,234 in fall 2011, a drop of 4 percent.