The United States is the world’s largest recipient of international students. The country enrolled over 1 million students in 2019. Despite facing competition from countries like China and Australia, the US remains a top destination for many international students. According to recent statistics by IIE on International students in the US, there are facts you should know about the US before applying to study there.
Today, we bring you the 15 latest trends about Studying in USA you need to know.
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Table of Contents
1. The US is the top destination for international students
In 2019, 1,095,299 international students were enrolled to study in the USA. The country remains a top destination for international students seeking to acquire quality education. 52 percent of these students come from China and India. Only about 3.6 percent come from Sub Saharan Africa.
2. 51% Of International students in the US study STEM programmes
STEM is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths. 51.6 percent of international students in the United States pursue STEM fields. Policy changes now allow STEM students to remain in the United States on Optional Practical Training opportunities for 36 months after the completion of their studies. This has also led to a rise in the number of students opting for the programme.
Interestingly, 21% of all international students in the US apply to study Engineering; this is by the far the highest for any single course. Making Engineering the top course for international students. The top three courses are Engineering, Business Management and Math and Computer science which account for almost half of all international students’ enrollments in US universities.
WATCH: Top 10 Courses to Study in USA In 2020!
3. Bangladesh, Brazil and Nigeria are the top three emerging markets
While the number of international students from other countries dropped or stalled, these countries witnessed growth. Bangladesh witnessed the highest growth with 10% more students from the previous year. Brazil followed closely with a 9.8% growth while Nigeria had a 5.8% growth.
4. Nigeria has the 11th highest number of international students
With a student population of 13,423, Nigeria has the 11th highest number of international students in the USA. Nigeria was however Africa’s top sender and the only African country among the top 25 senders of international students.
5. US universities are some of the best in the world
You probably already know this but there’s more. The US currently does not hold the title of the best university in the world, but out of the top 10 best universities in the world, 7 are in the US alone. The California institute of Technology based in the US is the second best tertiary institution in the world. US colleges occupy the 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th positions in the world.
But You Need Deep pocket. There is no point sugar-coating this; studying in the US is expensive. Tuition fees can cost as much as $35,000. Even state universities are not cheap, charging tuition fees at an average of $26,000. If you are planning on studying in the US, it is advisable you stack up on dollars.
6. Financial aid is available to international students
US universities offer financial aid to students to help with the high tuition fees. Although these aids are usually offered to US citizens there are some open to international students. The University of Pennsylvania, for instance, allocates over $9 million every academic year in funding specifically for undergraduates from outside of the US, Canada and Mexico. Harvard University and Columbia University also offer financial aid to international students.
WATCH: Top 10 Fully Funded Scholarships in USA for International Students
7. Over 341,000 US students studied abroad for academic credit
The US maybe a mecca for international students seeking higher education abroad but her citizens also travel abroad. In the previous session there were 341,127 US students studying abroad. The bulk of them were basically for academic credits with less than 2% staying for a full academic period.
The United Kingdom was the top destination for international students from the USA. There were over 39,000 international students from the USA in the UK in the previous academic year. Italy followed closely.
8. OPT is the fastest growing academic level in the USA
Optional Practical Training is a programme that allows student gain practical training to complement their field of study. It has become the fastest growing academic level in the US. Between the 2014/2015 academic year and the 2018/2019 year, the programme witnessed a 10% increase in enrollment.
9. Number of international students declined by 7%
The US enrolled almost 20,000 less students in 2018 than it did in 2017. This has become a trend since 2015 when the US enrolled 896,000 international students with the exception of OPT students. There are a number of factors that have been identified as likely causes of the decline. One of them is the competition the US now faces from countries like Canada, Australia and China for international students. Donald Trump’s election in 2016 did not help matters as his immigration rhetoric is considered hostile by many international students.
10. International students make up 5% of total US students
At over 1 million students, you are probably thinking American universities are overwhelmed with international students, that is however not the case. International students only make up 5% of the over 20 million students enrolled in US tertiary institutions.
11. California hosts the largest number of international students
The US state of California popularly known as the “golden state” hosts the largest number of international students than any US state. There were 161,693 international students in the state in 2019, which is a 0.2% decline from the previous year.
While California has the highest number of international students in the country, Massachusetts has the highest proportion of them in its tertiary institutions. International students in universities in Massachusetts make up about 14% of the total population of students in the state.
It is also interesting to note that one out of three international students study in California, New York and Texas. In the previous session the three states had almost 370,000 students.
12. Maths and Computer Science gained 9% more enrollment in previous year
For years, engineering has remained the course to beat, but trends show that Maths and computer science maybe gearing up to replace it. In 2018 Maths and Computer Science had 9.4% increase in enrollment while engineering witnessed a 1% decline from the previous year.
13. US programmes witnessed declines across board except OPT
With the exception of the popular OPT prgramme, other programme witnessed a decline. The number of students in non-degree programs declined by 5.0 percent. The total number of international students enrolled in undergraduate programs declined by 2.4 percent, and the number in graduate programs declined by 1.3 percent.
14. New York University hosts the most international students
Overall, NYU is among the most popular schools for students from outside the United States. They are ranked 1st out of 1,288 Overall Most Popular U.S. Colleges & Universities for International Students. The university enrolled 19,605 international students in the previous session.
15. 83% of International students self fund their education
That is quite a number considering the cost of tuition fees in the US. Report by the IIE Open Doors shows that over 83% of undergraduate students in US universities have their education financed by themselves or their family.
To add one more trend to the list
Undergraduates are the largest group
With a population of 431,130, undergraduate students make up the largest group of degree level international students in the US. Masters students follow closely with a population of 220,662 students.
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