US Universities see rise in science and engineering enrollments
July 2010
According to new visa data, universities in the United States saw growth in the number of international student enrollments over the past academic year despite expectations of a drop owing to the global financial crisis.
Recent statistics prove the prediction of a drop in international student enrollments due to declines in the value of foreign home currencies, as well as the price of education in the United States, wrong. The National Science Foundation (NSF) has reported an increase of 3% in the total number of new international students (568,000) at US universities during the past academic year. Data is based on reports of new student visas issued for the year 2009-2010, with expectations of an increase for the current academic year.
Release from the National Science Foundation:
The NSF report provides the most up-to-date picture of international-student trends. Summarized below are some of the findings.
International enrollment by field
While overall international enrollment in U.S. universities and colleges increased by 3% in fall 2009, science and engineering (S&E) showed a rise of 4% (259,000 students). The increase in S&E enrollment accounted for a steady 44% of total international enrollment.
Notable increases in other fields are:
- Mathematics – 10.3%
- Economics – 9.3%
- Engineering – 6.5%
- Business – 2.8%
- Computer Sciences – 2.6%
International enrollment by level
While there are approximately equal numbers of international students in undergraduate and graduate programs, graduate students far outnumber undergraduates in science and engineering. However, it must be noted that the number of first-time international students in undergraduate S&E programs climbed 5 percent in the last academic year.
International enrollment by country of citizenship
The top 10 countries of citizenship for international students in US universities both in science and engineering and non-S&E fields are:
1st - India
2nd - China
3rd - South Korea
4th - Saudi Arabia
5th - Nepal
6th - Japan
7th - Turkey
8th - Mexico
9th - Canada
10th - Taiwan
Overall, the enrollment of international science and engineering students increased from China, India, the Middle East, and Africa. Two countries-India, with 68,000 S&E students, and China, with 54,000-accounted for almost half (47%) of all foreign S&E students in the United States in December 2009.
Student enrollment statistics prove that getting a higher education in the US is perceived to be of great value in countries around the world; earning an American degree is an investment in the future. Find out why you should study in America!