International students enrich the educational and cultural environment on college campuses as well as contribute to the economic health of institutions of higher education and their surrounding communities. International student recruitment has never been easy at non-doctoral institutions, but it has become even more challenging under the current political administration. This study begins with a description of the enrollment trends of international students at colleges and universities in the southeastern United States. It explores the factors that influence the decision of an international student to study in the United States, with a particular focus on the role of cost (tuition and fees) for regional universities and baccalaureate institutions. The heart of the study examines the percentage of international students enrolled at almost 200 institutions of higher education in the southeast. The first stage of analysis investigates the impact of institutional academic classification, public vs. private status, diversity, and tuition cost on the percentage of international students enrolled at an institution. The study finds significantly higher rates of enrollment at doctoral institutions. Significant differences also emerge by the type of research classification for doctoral institutions with those universities designated as highest research activity reporting an international student enrollment more than three times greater than moderate research activity universities. Furthermore, the average percentage of international students enrolled in private institutions is more than double that of enrollees in public institutions. The second stage of analysis relies on data collected through a Qualtrics survey and examines the role that Intensive English Programs (IEPs) play in the recruitment of international students. The study concludes that institutions with IEPs far outperform those without in relation to the percentage of international students attending the institution. The study also demonstrated that recruitment budgets for IEPs matter. Institutions where IEPs had a recruitment budget showed a higher percentage of international students by 4.3% to 2.2%, nearly double those that did not. However, there was no significant statistical difference in international student percentages between institutions whose IEPs used agencies for recruitment and those that did not. The third stage of analysis also uses data from a Qualtrics survey and examines the role that Offices of International Programs (OIPs) play in international student recruitment. The study finds that OIPS were ineffective for the aspects of recruitment examined. The study concludes with policy recommendations for college and university campuses as well as for policymakers at the state level. Keywords: International Enrollment