East Carolina University is leading the pack when it comes to international students. 

The university is near the top of the list for their resources to help scholars abroad. 

ECU is one of 181 public and private national universities offering resources to help international students adapt to and graduate from U.S.-based schools, according to U.S. News & World Report.

As of last fall, 246 international students were enrolled at ECU. The top academic areas of study are business and computer science. The majority of international students at ECU are from China, India and Saudi Arabia.  

ECU has specialized programs for international students. The ECU Language Academy prepares non-English speakers for the university environment. Another program is First Friends. An opportunity for international students to meet with domestic students and ways to get involved on campus,

International applications and admissions to ECU are up over last year due to new recruiting staff and a comprehensive strategic plan for recruiting international students.

Cami Krez is from France and she just finished up her masters program at ECU. 

“They really make you feel like you’re not just a number,” said Krez. “The people I talked with were really attentive to what I wanted to do.” 

While Krez’s journey is almost up, it’s just the beginning for Vishwas Badel. 

“It’s quite difficult at first,” said Badel. “E.C.U has narrowed down the gap between colleges and the job market.” 

Jon Rezek is the Assistant Vice Chancellor for Global Affairs. 

“We have a really great community here, Greenville is a perfect size community for any international students,” said Rezek. 

Cathy Knudson works hard to recruit and sell future students that E.C.U. is the best university for their dreams.

“We like to make it a point that they aren’t just one of the 29,000 students at ECU.” 

The global affairs office is working to cultivate donors for a future scholarship, awarded to two international students each year.