For the fifth year in a row, the United States has hosted more than 1 million international students, a total of 1,075,496 in the 2019/2020 academic year, the 2020 Open Doors Report on International Education Exchange has found.
Although there has been a decline due to COVID-19 developments, international students still represent 5.5 per cent of all students in the country’s higher education, Erudera College News reports.
The report has been issued by the US Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs in cooperation with the Institute of International Education (IIE).
Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs, Marie Royce, said that it is encouraging to see that the number of international students in the United States has remained more than one million, before the pandemic.
“International student mobility is as important today as ever, and we believe the United States is the best destination for students to study and earn their degrees. Education is a pathway to a greater future, and international educational exchange has the power to transform students’ trajectories,” Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs, Marie Royce said.
Top five countries of origin of international students in the United States according to the report’s data are the following:
- China – 372,532 students
- India – 193,124 students
- South Korea – 49,809 students
- Saudi Arabia – 30,957 students
- Canada – 25,992 students
Moreover, The Open Doors report has unveiled that the number of US students pursuing studies abroad has increased by 1.6 per cent during 2018/19.
A decline has been noted in the number of international students studying Master of Business Administration (MBA) degrees in the United States.
However, Biden’s election as the United States president has been welcoming news for international students in the country, as they believe he can bring back international students in the US, especially MBA students, by reversing some of Trump policies and introducing new alluring policies for international students.
According to data from the US Department of Commerce, international students contributed to the country’s economy with $44 billion in 2019. During the 2018/2019 academic year, 1,095,299 international students pursued studies in the United States.