research projects
Data-Driven Analytics
Universities are urged to make more data-driven decisions each year. Trilby Suite is designed with reporting and analytics at the top of mind, but we take it a step further by partnering with leading organizations to bring much-needed data analysis to the field to better understand international students and institutional operations, paving the way for better student outcomes and greater institutional efficiency. Plus, Jason likes to get nerdy with it, so, it's a win-win.
NAFSA Economic Value Tool
Jason engineered the Economic Value Tool back in 2001 and continues to work in partnership with NAFSA to produce the analysis each year.
JBI produced the data analysis for NAFSA's 2023-24 Economic Value Tool.
Fast Facts:
The total number of jobs supported (378,175) by the financial contributions of international students is up 2.7% compared to the prior academic year.
For every three international students, one U.S. job is created/supported. This figure remains the same compared to last year’s analysis.
Economic contributions by international students at community colleges increased for the second year in a row. Their activity was measured at $2.0 billion (up 33 percent, almost double last year’s growth) and they supported more than 8,400 jobs (up 28 percent compared to last year’s 8.6 percent increase).
The five states that saw the largest amount of economic activity were (in descending order): California, New York, Massachusetts, Texas, and Illinois—the same top five as last year.
Twelve states broke the $1 billion mark (up from nine states last year), which is the most ever to do so. International student spending in those 12 states combined to generate 57 percent of the total dollar contribution to the U.S. economy.
International students enrolled in U.S. college and university English language programs contributed $371.3 million (a slight increase of 0.4 percent over last year’s dollar contribution) and supported 2,691 jobs (a decline of 15 percent compared to prior year’s 8.6 percent increase). As with national figures, though their economic contribution is slightly higher, it remains 47 percent below pre-pandemic levels ($697.2 million in the 2019-2020 academic year).
The members of Congress whose congressional districts generated the highest dollars during the 2023-2024 academic year are: Rep. Ayanna Pressley (MA-07); Rep. Dan Goldman (NY-10); Rep. Adriano Espaillat (NY-13); Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37); Rep. Katherine Clark (MA-05); Rep. Kweisi Mfume (MD-07); Rep. Nikki Budzinski (IL-13); Rep. Nikema Williams (GA-05); Rep. Barbara Lee (CA-12); and Jonathan Jackson (IL-01).
International Educator Podcast
Jason is featured in NAFSA's IE podcast! NAFSA: Association of International Educators has been conducting this economic analysis for over 20 years, and both Rachel Banks and Jason are the brains behind the operation.
In this episode, they talk about COVID’s affect on last year’s data and notable findings, under reported takeaways from the Open Doors report and NAFSA’s analysis, the history of the analysis, and how it’s evolved over the years.
More information:
2024 Annual Conference & Expo Survey Analysis
The NAFSA 2024 Annual Conference and Expo welcomed international educators from more than 100 countries in New Orleans, LA. We gathered to learn, network, and connect with peers and experts dedicated to "Resilience, Renewal, Community."
JB International conducted both a quantitative and qualitative analysis on the data collected by NAFSA to compile an overall summation of the 2024 Annual Conference & Expo survey.
The information from the 2024 report will be critical in helping to inform business decisions for 2025 and beyond. The evaluation reports are shared with senior management, the annual conference committees, and the NAFSA Board of Directors.