Prepared at the Request of the Bureau of Educational
and Cultural Affairs,
Department of State
Judy Judd-Price, Chair, ATESL, and
Karen Decker, Shelley Etzine, William M. Fish,
Laurie Miller, Marsha Sprague, Valerie Woolston, Deanna Wormuth.
ATESL thanks AAIEP and UCIEP for their support
and assistance.
August 2003
Impact Assessment
IEP (Intensive English Program) Industry
Introduction
The IEP industry in the US began approximately 70 years ago
and includes university-governed programs and independent institutions.
The independent institutions are often invited by colleges and
universities to offer programs on campuses. IEPs work together
through associations such as NAFSA, AAIEP, UCIEP, and TESOL.
Our competitors are IEPs in other English speaking countries
including Canada, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand who receive
government support in marketing and data collection, and benefit
from visa waivers or policies which allow short term and up to
6 months' study with no student visa requirement for many nationalities.
Just as US students who participate in Study Abroad programs
do so to achieve a variety of objectives, international students
who attend an IEP may do so for academic, professional, or personal
goals. Both in the US and in other countries, students attending
IEPs study in courses focusing on English for Academic Purposes,
English for Special Purposes (specialized vocabulary and content
for specific fields such as business or banking), or in short-term
general English courses, sometimes called study vacation courses.
Students enroll in courses for anywhere from 2 weeks to an academic
year, depending on their proficiency in English at the time of
arrival at the IEP, time available before they must return to
studies or jobs in their home countries, and their goals in learning
English. It is important to bear in mind that IEP students apply
for visas every month of the year. Historically, peak entrance
dates have been in January, April, June, July, and August. Most
IEPs offer instruction year-round with frequent entry dates because
students enroll while on break from studies and jobs in their
home countries as well as prior to attending undergraduate or
graduate programs.
Self Regulation in the IEP Industry
The US IEP industry promotes best practices through voluntarily
adopting the standards of professional associations such as NAFSA,
AAIEP, UCIEP, and TESOL. Both AAIEP and UCIEP require that standards
be met in order to achieve and maintain membership. All of the
associations have protocols in place to address complaints made
against a member charged with violating the Code of Ethics or
membership standards.
Many IEPs seek accreditation by an accrediting body recognized
by the US Department of Education to award accreditation to English
Language programs or institutions. CEA (Commission for English
Language Program Accreditation) was formed by representatives
from AAEIP, UCIEP, TESOL, and NAFSA and was recognized by the
Department of Education in June of this year to grant both programmatic
and institutional accreditation to ESL and IEP programs. ACCET
(Accrediting Council for Continuing Education and Training) is
recognized by the Department of Education to accredit a wide
range of institutions including IEPs. Both accrediting bodies
worked with members of the IEP industry to create the field specific
standards, documentation, and verification procedures appropriate
for an IEP, including those related to academic program, student
services, and compliance with DHS.
In addition to creating and promoting standards related to program
quality and student services, the IEP industry has been involved
in actively promoting compliance with INS/DHS regulations. IEPs
have contributed to the introduction and implementation of SEVIS
by working with members of the SEVIS Team to develop procedures
that are workable for programs on a non-semester schedule. The
IEP industry was represented in the CIPRIS project, participating
in all phases of the pilot for SEVIS, and has been active in
providing training and support for PDSOs and DSOs in IEPs. In
March of this year, NAFSA published SR-2003-e, The Impact
of F SEVIS Regulations on Language School Operations, written
by IEP DSOs to assist the field in being compliant with the new
reporting requirements. NAFSA has included representation from
the IEP industry in the SEVIS Project Manager group, and BICE/DHS
calls on this group as an industry advisory panel regarding SEVIS
procedures.
Enrollment Decline
As reported at the NAFSA Conference and in the Chronicle
of Higher Education , AAIEP and IIE conducted a web based
survey in early May of this year. The results indicate that
US IEP enrollment declined by 19.1% between 2002 and 2003.
Based on applications received by early May, the anticipated
number of summer language program enrollments for all nationalities
in 2003 was a decline of 30.5% compared to 2001. Some industry
observers estimate that the decline in enrollment for 2003
YTD compared to the same period in 2001 is much higher than
30%.
Over the past two years, the decline in enrollment in US IEPs
has been caused by students' concerns about safety, the economy
of some foreign countries such as Brazil, travel restrictions
related to SARS, confusion about changing visa policies, concern
about treatment while in the US, and aggressive marketing by
our competitors in other countries. While consular staff has
been instructed to grant visas for English study, anecdotal information
suggests that in some cases students are told they do not need
to travel to the US "just to learn English."
While the above information refers to IEP programs, it should
be remembered that many IEP programs are the gateway to US higher
education. Many IEP participants continue on to pursue undergraduate
and graduate degrees in the United States. A loss in market share
in
IEP programs will produce additional loss in the number of international
students in higher education in the US.
Impact on Higher Education
Many US universities are dependent on IEPs to evaluate the English
proficiency of international teaching assistants (ITAs) and certify
them to teach in their institutions. Most large research universities
rely on their IEPs to prepare ITAs for teaching, by improving
their English language communication skills and by increasing
their knowledge of American culture. Many lower-level undergraduate
courses are taught by ITAs who are expected to have comprehensible
English, good teaching skills, and knowledge of American culture
and university life. Without IEPs, they would not receive the
training they now get, and undergraduate education would be seriously
impacted.
MA TESOL programs and certificate programs which prepare K-12
teachers to teach in the multi-cultural classrooms in many communities
and states often depend on IEPs. IEPs serve as labs for practicum
classes, an important part of the education of new teachers.
Universities and colleges have depended on revenue from their
IEPs to support programs and services for the larger institution.
When the IEPs take in less revenue or close due to low enrollment,
some universities may need to either reduce services on campus
or increase the tuition.
Lost Revenue
In addition to fees paid directly to IEPs for application, tuition,
residence halls, and meal service, vendors who serve IEPs are
also affected negatively by the downturn in enrollment. These
include the airlines, travel and tourism industry, publishers
of ESL materials, host families, student health insurance carriers,
testing companies, rental car companies, and the cities and communities
where these students live and shop. The travel and tourism sectors
benefit from student flights to the US, school-organized cultural
enrichment activities frequently involving excursions, and extensive
travel within the US before and after their programs of study.
Some universities and private IEP systems may favor opening
new schools in other countries where the return on investment
is more assured at this time.
Language Travel Magazine estimates the total English
language teaching market for all English-speaking countries was
worth over 7.5 billion dollars in 2002 with the largest two destinations
being the UK and the US. LTM estimates that the US share
of the market is 28.5%, which breaks down as follows: Tuition,
$660,021,230; Accommodations, $595,423,412; and Miscellaneous,
$941,583,482. According to the article, the total US share of
the worldwide IEP industry in 2002 was $2,197,028,124. The 19.1%
drop in US enrollment reported by IIE would suggest a loss of
nearly a half billion dollars this year.
Lost Jobs
Using a teacher/student ratio of 1:20 (and many programs have
much smaller class size for effective language instruction),
we estimate that at least 1,000 IEP teachers lost their jobs
in the past two years due to the decline in enrollment. We estimate
that a quarter of the administrators at IEPs are no longer full-time
administrators. Losing staff positions at this time, when considerable
staff time is used for reporting information to SEVIS, leaves
fewer staff hours available for curriculum development, marketing,
and student services, areas that are important to maintain the
reputation of US IEPs and a competitive advantage over the IEP
industry in other English-speaking countries.
Student Ambassadors
IEPs are commonly the first experience an international student
has in the US, and in some cases the only experience in the US
the student will have. IEPs do much more than teach English.
Schools organize events to bring international students to public
schools to help educate American children about other countries
and cultures. Because IEP students want to learn about our culture
and values and because interacting with Americans is the best
way to practice newly acquired language skills, IEPs help students
find opportunities for volunteer activities with service and
charitable organizations as extra-curricular activities, plan
educational field trips, invite community leaders and professionals
to speak to students, and encourage activities with American
students.
When American students interact with international students
at campus events planned by IEPs, they are motivated to study
a foreign language and to plan a study abroad trip even though
they may not have studied or mastered the language of the country
they will visit. IEP students contribute by helping internationalize
the campus and when they return home they become future international
leaders and ambassadors of good will for the US.
School Closings
The AAIEP Central Office reports that 27 IEPs, or 10% of their
total membership, have closed due to low enrollment in the last
two years. Many more are sure to close as enrollments erode further.
One of the many other IEPs that have closed during the same
time period is the Economics Institute in Boulder, Colorado.
In its 45 years of service, the Economics Institute taught over
13,000 students from 160 countries. The student body always included
scholarship students from Senegal, Ivory Coast, Zaire, Mali,
and Chad who would go on to earn an MBA or PhD. The alumni list
includes those who went on to positions in universities, in ministries
of finance, and as directors of banks in their home countries.
One alumnus, Ernesto Zedillo, became President of Mexico.
IEP Diversity Threatened
As enrollments decline and fewer IEPs survive, the diversity
of types of programs within the US IEP industry will be reduced.
The programs that can last the longest with reduced enrollments
will fall into 2 categories: those that cut corners to reduce
expenses, and those that have substantial financial backing.
This group includes those major universities that can operate
IEPs at break even or at a loss and a small group of private
programs. Students and our industry are best served when a variety
of programs are viable, when there are adequate resources for
research and publication, and when teacher preparation programs
thrive.
Visa Delays
Visa delays have been well reported in the past few weeks and
are a major concern for IEPs. We are concerned that many US IEPS
will not be able to survive additional obstacles affecting student
travel on top of the challenges our industry has faced in the
past two years.
The following examples have been reported:
Switzerland : It is reported that the amount of lead-time
to schedule an appointment varies between 4-8 weeks. Students
must go to Berne and wait for 2 hours for their turn in a windowless
room without air conditioning. Students report that the attitude
of the Embassy personnel is that there is no reason to study
in the US and that the US doesn't want or need them.
Japan : In 2001, Japanese students represented more than
20% of the total enrollment at US IEPs, according to the AAIEP-IIE
Survey. It is reported that no visas will be issued for the next
2 weeks as Tokyo prepares for the interviews. Three officers
will interview about 2000 applicants each week. Students must
go to Tokyo or Osaka for the interview. Someone who lives hundreds
of miles away must travel at considerable expense for a 2-minute
interview.
Brazil : Brazilian students have typically represented
an important group for US IEPs, particularly when Brazilian students
are on seasonal break from studies. Brazil is larger than the
continental US, and traveling across the country for a 2-minute
visa interview will cost hundreds of dollars in airfare and hotel
accommodations.
Visa delays and expensive travel required for a visa interview
will have a critical impact on IEPs because those planning to
study in short-term programs do not apply to schools far in advance
as they might if they were seeking admission to Harvard for a
four-year program. Typically, an international student seeking
to study English will apply 5-8 weeks prior to the beginning
of the course. This behavior is not likely to change. Rather,
students who want short-term English programs will apply to IEPs
in other English-speaking countries.
While some US Embassy websites inform visitors that they do
not need to get a visa to study in a tennis or golf program,
attend a business seminar, or attend a language program of less
than 18 hours per week, US IEPs have been told that students
on B visas and visa waivers cannot enroll unless study is incidental
to the reason for entering the US. These instructions appear
to be contradictory and are confusing to students overseas and
to the IEP industry.
Lost Market Share
As reported in The Wall Street Journal on July 29, 2003,
other English-speaking countries such as Australia, New Zealand,
Ireland, and even Malta are more welcoming to intensive English
consumers than ever before. "We're out to take market share away
from the U.S.," said Richard Law, who works for the state-supported
British Council in London. The article also reports that a recent
e-mail to schools and recruiters from Canada's equivalent of
the British Council, the Canadian Education Center Network, predicted
that "a growing suspicion toward foreign students in the US would
discourage many applicants and benefit more welcoming countries
that adapt their marketing strategies to take advantage" of this
situation.
The websites of the Canadian Education Center Network promote
Canada as a world-class education provider and describe Canada's
IEP teachers as having excellent academic background, strong
professional training, neutral English accent, and innovative
and creative teaching methods. We do not take issue with this
description. Rather, we would like to have the same level of
support from our government so that the US can remain the leader
in our field.
The CEC also provides many valuable services to students interested
in studying in Canada and to schools interested in enrolling
international students. Services include conferences so that
schools may meet with overseas educational counselors and in-country
assistance with the visa issuance process for students.
Each student who decides to study at an IEP in Australia, Canada,
the UK, Ireland or New Zealand due to less stringent visa rules
will refer his relatives, friends, and employees to schools in
those countries.
Former students are referral sources for the rest of their lives.
We know from experience that students who study in a particular
country tend to return for additional study, pleasure, and business
later in their careers and to refer their employees to that country
for language training. They become lifelong ambassadors and promoters
of the US. The US is losing the revenue and the good will of
these students and those they would have referred.
Summary
The government-imposed visa delays, interview requirements,
and travel necessary for interviews facing students and scholars
who wish to enter the US are now threatening the livelihood of
IEPs.
Other countries recognize the importance of the English language
industry and are working hard in a concerted plan to recruit
students and scholars from abroad and to take market share from
the US.
IEPs in the US are at a crisis point. We need the active support
of our government now. Our government has the ability to provide
clear, user-friendly instructions to students and those who refer
them, to create a welcoming environment in the consulates and
embassies, and to recognize the importance of English study in
the US.
