Perhaps one of the greatest benefits of globalization is the ability for students from all around the world to experience cultures and environments different from the one they are accustomed to.

At the University of Iowa, this can definitely be said, given the variation among students, and ideally, a balance is struck in which the benefits for students are not overshadowed by the institution and vice versa. In the fall semester of last year, the UI enrolled 4,540 international students from more than 100 countries, which has ultimately served to cultivate a more diverse student body.

The UI is in the top 50 for international-student enrollment among 1,485 institutions of higher learning in the 2014-15 year, and this is a number to be proud of. Across the country, the number of international students has increased — in the last year, by 10 percent to a record high of 974,926, according to statistics from the Open Door Report.

As beneficial as the recruitment of international students can be, there is a more lucrative component that provides an incentive for unethical practices. International students pay out-of-state tuition, which provides a clear monetary benefit for the institutions of higher learning. At the same time, the goal of international-student recruitment should always be to provide the best possible educational experience to students who have made the decision to go abroad to further their education.

In the United States, recruitment agencies paid on commission for the number of students enrolled is prohibited. Given the potential for profit to overshadow what should be the purpose of college recruiting, which is pairing students with the institution best-suited for their needs, it is clear to see why such a restriction is in place. These rules do not apply to international recruitment and can result in the targeting of students who may not be in a position to succeed in the institution of higher learning they are being advertised.

This practice is unethical and does a disservice to both the prospective student and the institution, which then must provide the additional accommodations necessary to ensure success.

Currently, the UI does not employ such recruitment agencies and in no way compromises the admission standards expected of all prospective students. It is not to say that there is not a place for the use of recruitment agencies. They can reach out to pools of students who would otherwise be inaccessible and stand to benefit from the resources available at the UI.

Enrolling international students adds a valued difference in perspective for not only the students coming from abroad but for domestic students, who are then exposed to cultures and practices with which they were previously unacquainted. However, the boon of diversity should not come at the cost of the students’ experience or the integrity of the institution of higher learning. When it comes to seeking out prospective students from outside of the U.S., it is imperative for institutions of higher learning not to lose sight of their position as pillars of academic pursuit.