Changes in university policy at Ohio University have led to a drastic increase in Chinese undergraduate enrollment, a noticeable trend in Athens, a rural town in Appalachian Ohio with a predominantly white population. In 2010, 603 Chinese undergraduate students came to Ohio University (OU) compared to 17 in 2004. That same year, 81% of all international students at OU came from China. China's economic growth has created a burgeoning middle class with expendable income that, due to the one-child policy, places intense emphasis on children's higher education. China's strict university entrance requirements and a lack of higher educational institutions limit the opportunity for study, which compels more and more Chinese students to study abroad. International students at OU are placed into the Ohio Program of Intensive English (OPIE), a language program aimed at preparing them for academic study, and must test out before they can take university classes. Some spend up to three years in Athens without taking a single academic class. Most undergraduate Chinese students live in Scott Quad, the international dormitory, where 180 out of the 215 residents are Chinese. Living and studying mainly with international students, integration into American university life is rare.