The University of Memphis is mainly known as a college that attracts students from the Shelby County area. While that is true for the most part, a large number of enrolled students come from areas far away from the Pyramid and Tom the Tiger.
Curt Guenther, director of communications services, said that while a large number of The University's enrollment comes from the Shelby County area, there is a surprising representation internationally.
"Approximately 1,000 students from other countries are represented (at The U of M)," he said.
According to statistics provided by Darla Keel, web content specialist for institutional research, students from more than 200 countries have been enrolled at the school in the past five years. The latest numbers from the Fall 2004 semester show that the two countries most represented are India with 278 students and China with 108 students.
And while just 190 foreign students are in the undergraduate program, there are 524 in The University's post-baccalaureate program. Countries from Azerbaijan to Moldova to Yemen are represented here.The large numbers of students who stay in the area do so for various reasons, but mostly for location and financial ones.
Keel's statistics show that 78.47 percent of students at The U of M are from the Shelby County area, quite a large number but one that could fit in the with the school's plan for international growth.
The University web site details a plan for 2008 that outlines various goals, one of which is to increase international enrollment from 3 percent to 5 percent.
Still, local students give reasons why staying in town is better.
"At first I had a strong pull to go to a college out of town," said James Renfroe, a sophomore theater major. "But Memphis is a good city with lots of opportunities and some interesting people. The access to information I had showed that Memphis was better for me financially."Another Tennessee university popular in the area is the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. Despite being 390 miles away, the college attracts Memphis high school students.
"I knew several people going (to UT) but I thought it lacked some things from a larger city such as the music venues Memphis has. The distance didn't really matter to me but the resources (in Memphis) were just better," Renfroe said.
To other students, however, location was a big deciding factor and led a student to stay in the area.
"I did look at some other places, but I'm a big family person," said Brittni Sharp, freshman sociology major. "I visited Lambuth and Lipscomb University in Nashville, but chose Memphis because of the competitive education."
She said that a midnight curfew during weeknights at Lipscomb was one of the things that affected her college choice. However, she knows other students who attended The University of Memphis for its musical heritage.
"I had one friend from Minnesota and one from Michigan who came (to The U of M) mostly because of the music and blues scene here," she said. "They were music majors and it really influenced them."
