US universities attract over a million foreign students
According to ShareAmerica, for the first time the number of foreign students at US colleges and universities has exceeded one million, thanks to a sharp increase in master's students in the natural sciences, engineering, and mathematics from India.
China still supplies the largest number of students – 328,500, or nearly a third, but the number of master's students from India grew by 25 percent in the 2015-16 academic year to nearly 166,000.
Saudi Arabia slightly overtakes South Korea, moving into third place: the number of students from each of these countries is about 61,000. In fifth place is Canada with 29,000 students.
These figures come from the Open Doors 2016 report – an annual census conducted by the Institute of International Education in partnership with the US Department of State. This report was the highlight of International Education Week, which is celebrated at hundreds of college campuses in the US and abroad with fairs and festivals.
More than half of foreign students earn degrees in engineering, business, mathematics, and computer science. Graduates with higher education in these fields have the opportunity to work in the US for 29 months before returning to their home countries. Graduates of other specialties can work for 12 months.
“We need to encourage young people from all countries to seek opportunities through exchange programs outside their countries,” says Evan Ryan, who heads the student exchange programs at the US Department of State. “We believe that international education is essential for creating a safer and more tolerant society and world as a whole.”
Over a million foreign students study at more than 250 US universities. Leading are New York University (15,500 foreign students) and the University of Southern California (13,300).
Last year, the number of students from China, India, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, Taiwan, Iran, Great Britain, Nepal, Nigeria, Kuwait, France, Indonesia, Venezuela, Malaysia, Colombia, and Spain increased.