The University of Virginia, the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor and the University of California-Berkeley all boast graduate programs that contain more than 20 percent foreign students.
Linda Dykstra, dean of the graduate school, said UNC doesn't attract more international students because of limited science programs and a lack of an engineering school.
Many universities UNC considers peers -- such as Michigan, where 24 percent of graduates are international -- have extensive graduate engineering programs.
Chinese, Korean, Taiwanese and Western European students make up the bulk of UNC's international graduates, and they are heavily concentrated in areas like biology, chemistry and computer science.
Unlike UNC's undergraduate admissions, many graduate programs have no specific guidelines to follow regarding student race, origin or permanent residency when they accept students. This allows the department to base decisions strictly on a candidate's individual ability, said Michael Poock, associate dean of the graduate school. "It's a good thing, because it frees up departments to choose from the best in the world."
Larger enrollment numbers and heavier pull in different areas of the world might be factors in the difference in percentages between UNC and other top academic universities, Poock said.
"There is nothing magical about having a higher percentage," he said. "We want the best applicants, period."
Increasing international graduate student enrollment mostly depends on each specific department and the resources available to it.
But international graduate students might experience some trouble attending UNC and other American universities in the future, Poock said. The recent threat of war and international conflict has increased the difficulty and the amount of time it takes to obtain a student visa.
