Knox College anticipates a significant increase in international student enrollment for next school year.
The college had a total enrollment of 1,001 students in fall 2023, with 197 international students.
For next year, 190 incoming international students have already made deposits to attend Knox.
That’s three times the number of incoming international students from last year and will more than double the total number of international students at Knox College.
Alex Pia, Director of International Student Services at Knox College, said there was more emphasis on recruiting international students this year.
"This is the first full year that the staff that's currently in place has been recruiting students together. So they brought us a big class this year," said Pia.
Pia foresees the class of 2028's larger number of international students significantly impacting campus life.
"It's going to have a big impact because when you take a certain group of international students and then that we currently have on campus and double that, you're going to see more international students involved in club activities," said Pia.
Pia highlighted that Knox has always been generous with scholarships, and incoming students receive personal attention.
This year they were given gift boxes to say, "Welcome, you've been accepted to Knox College."
Many international students at Knox are South Asian.
Out of the 197 incoming international students, 34 are from Pakistan, 33 are from Nepal, and 30 are from Vietnam.
Together, these three countries make up almost half of the incoming international student class.
Archi Nokrek, a senior from Bangladesh, said the Creative Writing program drew her to Knox.
"I remember the acceptance letter that came from Knox. It was a handwritten note and it referred to my common app essay so I was like: "Okay, this is somewhere where me as a person is going to be valued," said Nokrek.
Nokrek has enjoyed being in Galesburg.
"When I go to, like, small restaurants here, people know me. People know what I like and stuff like that, it's very personal," said Nokrek.
Diya Goyal, a senior from India, shared similar experiences with Galesburg.
"It's just great to go somewhere and immediately know the place, be familiar with it, and have people know you and know your orders," said Goyal. "You can understand that it's a small community, but it's such a tight-knit community."
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