Foreigners in general do tend to be better students because they often have seen what lack of an education does to people; they come from countries where they are just cogs in a massive wheel, easily replaced with a similar “part”. A century and a half ago, the only way off the farms of Ireland was an education - and we are sliding back to the same scenario here (with low-skill work replacing the potato patch).
On the other hand, many foreigners then just prolong their education here so they don’t have to return to the dump from which they escaped (or avoid military service - I went to school with Turks from wealthy families studying here for that reason).