Welcome back, new and returning BYU-Hawaii students. As the Winter 2007 semester begins, BYU-Hawaii Dean of Admissions Arapata Meha said the University will continue to maintain its current enrollment level of approximately 2,400 students — about half of them from more than 70 international countries, and the other half from Hawaii and the rest of the United States. "Japan and Korea have the largest number of international students on campus, and from the Pacific it's Fiji and Tonga. We also get occasional students from Europe, Africa and South America," said Meha, a BYU-Hawaii alumnus originally from New Zealand. He pointed out the number of international students may actually be a little lower than average due to the largest-ever December graduation last month. "We had over 300 students graduate, and more than 50 percent of those were international." "This is a busy time of year for new international students, who often come right after Christmas," Meha continued. "All of them who don't speak English [as a native language] go through a battery of tests after they arrive. Those who do speak English meet with their academic advisors." Meha explained that some international students finish their secondary school year in November, so Winter Semester is a logical time for them to start at BYU-Hawaii. Others, he added, need extra time to secure visas, so they tend to enroll after Winter Semester. He also explained the number of international students coming to BYU-Hawaii under the work-study internship program is at capacity. "Approximately 500 of them work at the Polynesian Cultural Center, and the rest of them work on campus."