LYNCHBURG, Va. (WFXR)– Dozens of students from across the world moved into the University of Lynchburg on August 15. The school says this year it has a record number of international students, the student body now represents 34 countries.

Three international students, Kavya, Bishnu, and Laxmi, tell WFXR that while it took a lot to get here, they’re ready to explore new opportunities.

“I want to learn different things like swimming, and other sports activities like volleyball and extra curriculum like dancing,” they said.

For these three incoming students, their home is almost 8,000 miles away in Nepal. They say they chose the University of Lynchburg for various reasons, one of those being the resources available for international students.

“There are various of program[s] and course[s] available here for the international student, and also, the management system and overall, everything is good here,” said one student.

Vice President of Enrollment Marketing and Communications at the University, Aaron Basko, says this year there are around 80 international students coming to campus. That is a significant jump from last year– when only 21 international students enrolled.

“We’ve done a lot of work to really try and partner with international organizations there’s some great state department centers around the globe where we’ve been able to present for them and provide them with information about a U.S. college experience and how great it can be,” said Basko.

Basko adds that this year they’ve also brought in a new international student support coordinator who will be the first point of contact to help make the transition easier for these students.

He says not only is this a chance for students from all over the world to learn about American culture… it’s also a chance for American students to experience new cultures right on their own campus.

“As our students move out into the work world it’s really important that they’re used to very you know highly intercultural environments and I think this just helps them to do that and hopefully make some friendships that will last a long time,” said Basko.