(PRWEB) November 12, 2013
The 2013 Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange, released yesterday, finds the number of international students at colleges and universities in the United States increased by seven percent to a record high of 819,644 students in the 2012/13 academic year, while U.S. students studying abroad increased by three percent to an all-time high of more than 283,000.
In 2012/13, 55,000 more international students enrolled in U.S. higher education compared to 2011/12, with most of the growth driven by China and Saudi Arabia. This marks the seventh consecutive year that Open Doors reported expansion in the total number of international students in U.S. higher education. There are now 40 percent more international students studying at U.S. colleges and universities than a decade ago, and the rate of increase has risen steadily for the past three years. International students make up slightly under four percent of total student enrollment at the graduate and undergraduate level combined. International students spending in all 50 states contributed approximately $ 24 billion to the U.S. economy.
The number of U.S. students who studied abroad for academic credit increased by three percent to 283,332 students in 2011/12, a higher rate of growth than the one percent increase the previous year. More U.S. students went to Latin America and China, and there was a rebound in those going to Japan as programs reopened in Fall 2011 after the earthquake and tsunami of March 2011. Study abroad by American students has more than tripled over the past two decades, from approximately 71,000 students in 1991/92 to the record number in 2011/12. Despite these increases, fewer than 10 percent of all U.S. college students study abroad at some point during their undergraduate years.
Findings of the Open Doors report, published annually by the Institute of International Education in partnership with the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, is the subject of a briefing in Washington, D.C. on November 12, led by Assistant Secretary of State Evan M. Ryan and IIE President and CEO Allan E. Goodman.
International education promotes the relationship building and knowledge exchange between people and communities in the United States and around the world that are necessary to solve global challenges, said Evan M. Ryan, Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs. The connections made during international education experiences last a lifetime. International students enrich classrooms, campuses and communities in ways that endure long after students return to their home countries. We encourage U.S. schools to continue to welcome more international students to their campuses and to do more to make study abroad a reality for all of their students.
The careers of all of our students will be global ones, in which they will need to function effectively in multi-national teams. They will need to understand the cultural differences and historical experiences that divide us, as well as the common values and humanity that unite us, noted IIEs President Dr. Goodman. International students coming to study in the U.S. benefit from access to some of the finest professors and research laboratories in the world, and Americans benefit substantially from the presence of international students who bring their own unique perspectives and knowledge to the classroom and the wider community.
Commenting on the fact that 90 percent of American undergraduates still do not study abroad, Dr. Goodman said, We need to increase substantially the number of U.S. students who go abroad so that they too can gain the international experience which is so vital to career success and deepening mutual understanding.
The International Education Week briefing will examine key trends in detail, with a discussion of how economic factors and education policies affect global student mobility, and how academic exchange strengthens diplomatic and business relationships around the world.
International education creates a positive economic and social impact for communities in the United States and around the world. The strong increase in international student enrollment shows the continued conviction by international students and parents that a U.S. degree is a sound investment in their future careers. U.S. higher education offers an unmatched range of nearly 4,000 colleges and universities of all sizes and types, with an extensive variety of course offerings, fields of study, and price points.
The Open Doors Report is published by the Institute of International Education, an independent not-for-profit organization with a network of 19 offices and affiliates worldwide and over 1,200 member institutions. IIE has conducted an annual statistical survey of the international students in the United States since its founding in 1919 and in partnership with the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs since 1972. Open Doors also reports on the number of international scholars at U.S. universities; international students enrolled in pre-academic Intensive English Programs; and on U.S. students studying abroad. Further details on the Open Doors 2013 surveys and their findings is on the Open Doors website and the full 100+ page report can be ordered for $ 69.95 from IIE Books.
The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) of the U.S. Department of State leads a wide range of academic, professional, and cultural exchanges that include approximately 40,000 participants annually, including the flagship Fulbright Program and the International Visitor Leadership Program, with the goal of increasing mutual understanding and respect between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. ECA also sponsors the Benjamin A. Gilman Scholarships for U.S. undergraduates with financial need, administered by IIE, and the Critical Language Scholarship Program in support of U.S. study abroad and the EducationUSA network of over 400 advising centers worldwide, which provides information to students around the globe who wish to study in the United States.
Learn more about the Department of States educational and cultural exchange activities
OPEN DOORS 2013: DATA HIGHLIGHTS
International Students in the US
Overview: The number of international students enrolled in U.S. higher education increased by seven percent to 819,644 students in 2012/13, with 55,000 more students than last year enrolled in colleges and universities across the United States. This 2012/13 data marks the seventh consecutive year that Open Doors reported expansion in the total number of international students in U.S. higher education. There are now 40 percent more international students studying at U.S. colleges and universities than a decade ago, and the rate of increase has risen steadily for the past three years.
A strong increase in the number of new international students, those enrolling for the first time at a U.S. college or university in fall 2013, indicates that this growth trend likely will continue. New enrollments in 2012/13 were up ten percent from the prior year, following a seven percent increase in 2011/12. Both total enrollment and new enrollment had slowed after the economic slowdown in 2007/08, and both have now rebounded to previous high rates of growth.
Despite the increases in recent years, international students still constitute less than four percent of the more than 21 million students enrolled in U.S. higher education.
Places of Origin: The growth is largely driven by students from China, particularly at the undergraduate level. Chinese student enrollments increased by 21 percent in total to almost 235,000 students, and increased by 26 percent at the undergraduate level. There were also large increases in undergraduate students from several countries wher