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In cooperation with Study Montana and the U.S. Commercial Service, University of Montana participated yesterday in a pilot Virtual Reality University Fair with educational agents in Mexico.  Each of the three participating institutions—University of Montana, MSU-Bozeman, and MSU-Billings—gave short presentations and then agents watched a 5 minute VR 360° video of each campus on Oculus headsets. The hope for this pilot project was to give agents a more immersive introduction to Montana campuses. Agents were excited by the new technology but also by the chance to visit Montana (almost) at first hand. Thanks goes to UM graduate student David Mills-Low, the UM School of Media Arts, and the Global Engagement Office for the production of the UM portion of the VR 360° video.

[internationaladmissum]

“Trendsetters at the U”  fashion blogging club.  Just one of many ASUM student clubs to get involved in at the University of Montana!  

[internationaladmissum]

UM International Alumna to Receive the 2018 Distinguished Alumni Award

Evelyn Adedoja Yeye Dada (M.P.A ‘83) of Abuja, Nigeria will receive UM’s Distinguished Alumni Award at a ceremony in Missoula on October 5th. Yeye Dada was a world-changer when she came to UM as an international student and earned her master’s degree in public administration. She began her career in 1973 with the New Nigerian Development Company, becoming a leader in economic development. She worked for a short time with the U.S. Peace Corps and the British Council and then for more than 20 years with the United Nations in several countries throughout Africa, the Middle East and Europe. Yeye Dada’s biography includes many significant accomplishments with the UN Children’s Fund and the Food and Agriculture Organization. She continues to serve with the UN after her retirement, and in 2016, she received a merit award from the king of her hometown of Egbe, Nigeria, for her contributions to the town’s development.

http://news.umt.edu/2018/08/082818dist.php

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Our new international brochure is here!  This brochure includes updated information for the 2018-2019 school year and is aimed at international students interested in studying for an undergraduate degree at UM.  Let us know what you think!

https://issuu.com/theuniversityofmontana/docs/um-intlbrochure2018-v6

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International ACAC Conference 2018

In July UM International Admissions took part in the annual meeting of International Association of College Admissions Counselors (International ACAC) held at Tulane and Loyola Universities in New Orleans. The International ACAC is an affiliate of the National Association of College Admissions Counselors (NACAC) and is one of the main US-based professional associations dedicated to international admissions counseling and recruitment.   Attended this year by over 1400 international high school counselors, independent educational counselors, and university admissions staff, the conference brought together professionals from over 82 countries for three days of presentations, professional development opportunities and networking events. Highlights included the college and high school fairs where both universities and international high schools had a chance to show off their schools and to share information with colleagues “across the desk”.

This year’s conference included a range of sessions on international recruitment, admissions trends, and evaluation best practices.  Presentations included, among many others, sessions on recruitment strategies for doing outreach on a limited budget, understanding the British A level system and IB Diploma Programme, the case for text flexibility for international students, engaging with students via social media, and international student mobility trends in the current US political climate.  

Given the importance of relationship-building to international admissions and recruitment, the conference was an excellent occasion for UM to connect with professionals who are talking directly with prospective international students and “third-culture kids”, students with dual citizenship or US residents abroad. Cultivating relationships with counselors overseas will help UM promote its brand in places where it cannot, due to budgetary or other constraints, actively recruit or have a physical presence. These same high school professionals also have a wealth of knowledge of different national school curricula and credentialing bodies. By connecting with them at conferences like the one put on by International ACAC, UM International Admissions will grow its resource pool, thereby strengthening its ability to evaluate student academic records accurately.  Because of its global reach, the conference also provided an opportunity for UM to hear more about student mobility trends in parts of the world where it is not actively recruiting and to learn about recruitment best practices from other US institutions of higher education.  

UM International Admissions plans to build on the work done at the conference through follow-up with new counselor contacts and by implementing a number of strategies and programming ideas learned at the conference.  Stay tuned!

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2018 Montana International Educators Conference

UM International Admissions and Global Engagement staff represented the University of Montana at the Montana International Educators Conference, hosted this year by MSU-Billings. The two-day conference provided an opportunity for international educators to meet and to hear updates on current projects and initiatives underway at Montana institutions.  Attendees came from across the state and represented a number of schools and colleges, including MSU-Bozeman, MSU-Billings, MSU-Northern, Dawson Community College, Northwest College (Powell, WY), Little Big Horn College, University of Montana, Miles Community College and Billings Central Catholic High School.  

 The conference included sessions on:

current international recruiting initiatives at Montana institutions

the use of inter-college alliances to bolster internationalization efforts on individual campuses

improving international student communication plans

current issues in immigration

managing risk in education abroad

international credential evaluation

The unofficial theme for the conference was cooperation. While attendees recognized the need to focus primarily on internationalization efforts at their own institutions, cross-institutional collaboration makes sense for Montana schools in many areas.  Limited resources for internationalization at individual campuses combined with the benefits of economies of scale provide a rationale for sharing knowledge and resources when appropriate. 

The conference also provided an opportunity to revive Study Montana, a non-profit consortium dedicated to supporting the internationalization goals of Montana's secondary schools and colleges. Study Montana will work with member schools, state and local governments and businesses to raise the profile of Montana as a place to study among prospective international students.

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The iTEP English Proficiency Test Now Offered During Orientation

International Admissions and UM’s English Language Institute are now offering the International Test of English Proficiency (iTEP) to students at the beginning of orientation week each semester. The iTEP is already one of the English proficiency tests accepted by UM and scores on the iTEP are available within 24-48 hours of exam completion. Conditionally admitted students who score 3.8 or above on the iTEP have the opportunity to move into full admission status during their first week on campus. This optional exam enables students to fulfill the English proficiency requirement when they arrive at UM and is a cost-effective option for students who do not have easy access to test-taking facilities in their home countries.

There is a USD $75 administration fee to take the test and registration is required.  For more information, see the UM Admissions website.