Roughly 10,000 higher education experts from all over the world are in Boston this week to discuss what has become a financial lifeline for many colleges and universities: how to build the enrollment of international students.
The convention, being held at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, is organized by NAFSA, the association of international educators.

To be sure, international students are big business for colleges and universities, which rely on them for everything from tuition revenue (foreign students often pay full fare) to creating a multicultural dynamic on campus.
In Massachusetts, international students generate about $1.9 billion in financial contributions including tuition and related outlays spent directly at local schools as well as the local economy, according to NAFSA. There are 51,240 international students enrolled at Massachusetts schools and they support nearly 27,000 jobs statewide, NAFSA’s data show.

According to NAFSA, the top universities in Massachusetts for international students in terms of broader financial contributions and jobs supported are:

• Northeastern University ($353 million, 5,664 jobs)
• Boston University ($312 million, 5,211 jobs)
• Harvard University ($170 million, 2,832 jobs)
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology ($154 million, 2,520 jobs)
• Suffolk University ($72 million, 500 jobs)

According to IDP Education, the United States has a positive perception among foreign students for the quality of education they’ll receive if they come here. But colleges and universities in the U.S. have a negative perceptions among foreign students when it comes to affordability (cost of living and tuition) as well as the possibility of getting employment offers, IDP Education found.