(From Inside Higher Ed's article, "The International Student Scene.")
• 671,616 international students enrolled in U.S. universities this year -- a record high.
• The U.S. hosts the largest number of foreign students, followed by the U.K., France, Germany, and Australia.
• Japan and China both have goals to host 300,000 non-native students by 2020. Their numbers are currently around 123,000 (for Japan) and 195,000 (for China).
• The three most popular English-speaking educational destinations are (in order), the U.S., the U.K., and Australia. But Canada has made it clear that their shooting for third place in the near future. Singapore is also rising in the competition.
• Most of Australia's international student body comes from China. 40% of the Chinese students studying in Australia are undergraduates. Among these Chinese undergrads, business is the most popular major. The second largest non-Australian population studying in Australia is from India. Two-thirds of the Indians studying in Australia are studying in vocational programs; the most popular degree among these Indians is a diploma in hospitality management.
• Most Indian students in the U.S., on the other hand, are studying at the graduate level. Most are in degree programs for computer science, engineering, management, and business.
• Most of the Indians studying in the U.S. are clustered in the states of California, Florida, Massachusetts, Texas, and New York.
• In India, enrollment in engineering programs shot up from 115,000 students in 1997 to 653,000 in 2007. Much of the growth, however, has taken place at poor, low-quality institutions.
• Only 0.17% of students studying in Latin American universities are foreign, and only 0.87% of Latin American students choose to study abroad. For those who do go abroad, 65% go to the U.S., 21% go to Europe, 8% go to Asia, and the last 6% are divided between Oceania and Africa.
For more information about the international education scene, please see these related Accepted articles:
- International Student Applications Up at American Graduate Schools
- B-Schools Search Globally for International Students
- Latin American Universities Embrace Globalized Education
- International Students' Top Priority: Jobs
- International Students Opt out of American MBA Programs
- New "No-Co-Signer" Loans Aid Foreign MBA Students
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