Deals between private companies and colleges to attract and prepare foreign students for enrollment are spreading from other countries to the United States. Warren Snell (above), vice president for resources at Edith Cowan U., in Australia, says the proportion of foreign students there has more than tripled through such a partnership. (Photograph by David Dare Parker)

WELL-USED WELCOME MAT: The number of foreign graduate students admitted to American universities grew in 2008 for the fourth straight year, although the rate of increase declined for the third year in a row.

REFUGEE ACADEMICS: American professors and students were among those who fled the Russian invasion of Georgia, which involved the bombing of a university in the city of Gori.

FAST TRACK IN CANADA: The country has introduced a system to speed the process by which foreign students and graduates with Canadian work experience become permanent residents.

SIMPLER IN IRAQ: The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad has begun accepting visa applications from students, in a policy shift that should ease the application process for Iraqis planning to study at American colleges.

IN BRIEF: News of higher education from around the world.

An occasional series looks at how American colleges meet the challenges of internationalization.