American universities are leaders in international education
The main competitors of the USA for international students among the top 200 universities in the THE/QS ranking are as follows: Great Britain – 29 universities, Canada – 11, Japan – 11, Germany – 10, Australia – 9, China – 6, France – 4.
In the 2009 ranking of the Institute of Education of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, American universities also lead. In the top ten, there are eight of them, in the top hundred – 54, in the top two hundred – 83. Great Britain has 22 universities among the two hundred, Canada – 5, Japan – 9, Germany – 18, Australia – 6, China – 0, France – 7.
The ranking of the Institute of Education of Shanghai Jiao Tong University can be called a ranking of scientific research. It is based on parameters such as the number of alumni who are Nobel or Fields Prize laureates, the number of staff who are Nobel or Fields Prize laureates, the most frequently cited scientists from the university in 21 scientific categories, the presence of publications in Nature or Science journals, and citation indices for natural sciences and humanities from the Institute for Scientific Information. Therefore, it can be said with full confidence that the presence of 54 American universities in the top hundred of the ranking means their dominance in the scientific research market.
No country in the world has come close to the USA in terms of the number of Nobel laureates. Let us compare the American indicators with data from competing countries for international students.
Over 200,000 doctoral students are studying at American universities, which constitutes half of the global number of individuals earning a doctorate degree. The research conducted is mainly related to the most promising areas in the fields of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics). Among doctoral students at US universities, more than 30% are foreigners. The vast majority (up to 80%) stay in the States for further work. Their average salary is $100,000 per year, which is higher than the compensation received by young scientists in other countries.
The USA attracts the largest number of foreign students. Despite all the efforts made by other English-speaking countries, American higher education remains the leader in the global education market.
According to the Institute of International Education (IIE), in the 2008/09 academic year (data for 2009/10 has not yet been processed), about 671,616 foreign students studied at US higher education institutions, or 21% of the entire market for foreign higher education. Universities in Great Britain, the closest competitor to the USA, hosted about 390,000 foreign students, or 13% of the total. Significant numbers of foreign students also studied in France – 266,448 (9%), Germany – 233,606 (8%), Australia – 223,508 (7%), Canada – 123,901 (4%), Japan – 123,829 (4%). For the first time, China displaced some global players in the foreign education market. In China, 144,000 students received higher education, or 6% of the 3 million students studying outside their home country.
The number of foreign students in US colleges and universities increased by 8% in the 2008/09 academic year. This is the largest percentage growth in international student enrollment since the 1980/81 academic year, marking the third consecutive year of increase (7% in 2007/08 and 3% in 2006/07). Overall, the number of foreign students exceeds the previous peak of 2002/03 by 14.5%.
After two years of 10% growth in newly enrolled students at American universities and colleges, in 2008/09 their number exceeded 16%, with 11% enrolling in bachelor's programs.
Among the five main countries whose citizens receive education in the USA are India (15.2% of all foreign students in the USA), China (13%), South Korea (11.1%), Japan (5.4%), and Canada (4.7%).
Let us name the most popular states, cities, universities, and specialties among foreign students. Geographically, the most foreign students (93,124) were hosted by universities in California, which is 10% higher than the previous year's figures. Next comes New York (74,934, 7%), Texas (58,188, 12%), Massachusetts (33,838, 6%), Florida (30,386, 14%), Illinois (29,887, 4%), Pennsylvania (27,529, 6%), Michigan (23,617, 3%), Ohio (20,725, 7%), and Indiana (17,098, 10%).
Among metropolitan cities, New York leads with 59,322 foreign students (an 8% increase) studying at universities and colleges in the region. In second place is Los Angeles – 42,897 foreign students (an 11% increase).
For the eighth consecutive year, the University of Southern California hosts the largest number of foreign students – 7,482. New York University ranks second (6,761), and slightly behind is Columbia University in third place (6,685). They are followed by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign – 6,570, Purdue University – 6,136, University of Michigan – Ann Arbor – 6,136, University of Texas – Austin – 5,703, University of California – Los Angeles – 5,590, Boston University – 5,037, and Michigan State University – 4,757 foreign students. Also, 171 universities educate over 1,000 foreign students.
Among the most popular subjects, Business and Management prevail. They are studied by 21% of foreign students, and their number increased by 12% compared to 2007/08. Next is Engineering – 18% (growth 11%). Physics and Life Sciences, as well as Social Sciences, were studied by 9% of foreigners, Mathematics and Computer Science – 8%, Health Professions, Fine & Applied Arts – 5%, Humanities and Education – 3% each, and Agriculture – 1%.
Based on materials from the CMC «Parta».