Resources — Foreign Student Facts

Where They Go & What They Study

Not surprisingly, the most popular U.S. schools attribute their success to active international recruitment, competitive pricing and the development of attractive academic programs. According to IIE research, the most popular U.S. universities for foreign students during the 1999-2000 academic year:

1. New York University 

2. University of Southern California 

3. Columbia University

4. University of Wisconsin, Madison

Most popular city was New York with 30,378 foreign students. Most popular states are, in descending order, California, New York, Texas, Massachusetts and Florida.

International student enrollment growth was particularly strong at community colleges. Since 1993, these colleges have experienced a 46 percent increase, and a six percent increase last year alone.

While foreign students study a wide variety of different disciplines, they are particularly strong in business and management (20 percent), engineering (15 percent), mathematics and computer sciences (19 percent). According to the National Science Foundation, about 40 percent of science and engineering doctorates awarded in 1996 went to foreign students. Many universities credit these students with keeping critical research programs alive, which otherwise would have closed due to a shortage of qualified U.S. students. 

America is Losing Ground

Although the number of foreign students increased about 5 percent in 1999-2000, the U.S. share of students studying abroad has dropped from 40 percent to 30 percent during the last 15 years. This is due primarily to increased recruitment efforts from other countries.

According to a study of U.S. Information Agency's (USIA) network of overseas advising centers, the biggest competitors for these students are:

1. Britain

2. Australia

3. Canada

4. Germany

5. France/Japan

Many of these countries have national recruitment policies and are making it easier for foreign students to get visas. The UK has initiated a well-funded national plan supported by Prime Minister Tony Blair to increase international students. Germany is developing a set of international degree or certificate programs taught in English with transferable credits to attract more students. France announced a recruiting initiative, EduFrance, which has a budget of 100 million French francs for four years. Australia has established "one stop shopping" on the Internet for school information, applications and visa information. These countries also charge about half the $20,000-plus tuition costs of America's top private schools. 

In contrast, international recruitment is not a priority for the United States government, and it's difficult for international students to obtain information tailored to their needs. Still the nation continues to be the world's favorite place to study. The Fulbright Education Program remains the most important and prestigious international exchange program. And in Asia, IEF Education Foundation has helped tens of thousands of potential students learn more about the U.S. educational systems by working closely with school representatives, government officials and counselors in this nation and abroad. Its efforts in Taiwan and China have been particularly strong during the last decade.

The U.S. higher educational system remains the most respected and recognized in the world. However, to maintain this leadership position, the United States will need to increase appreciation for these distinguished students' academic, economic and diplomatic contributions.