By IANS,
Washington : India sent over 103,000 students to the US in 2008-09, the maximum number from any country, a new survey said. At the same time, India became one of the favourite destinations of American students.
According to the Open Doors 2009 survey by the Institute of International Education released Monday, India remains the leading place of origin for the eighth consecutive year, increasing by nine percent to 103,260.
Students from China increased 21 percent for a total of 98,510. South Korea, in third place, increased nine percent to 75,065. Canada, the only non-Asian country in the top five, rose to fourth place with an increase of two percent to 29,697, surpassing Japan, now in fifth place after students declined for the fourth consecutive year.
The number of international students at colleges and universities in the US increased by eight percent to an all-time high of 671,616 in the 2008-09 academic year.
This is the largest percentage increase in international student enrolments since 1980-81, and marks the third consecutive year of significant growth.
The Open Doors 2009 data reports on enrolments in academic year 2008-09 based on a comprehensive survey of approximately 3,000 accredited US higher education institutions of all types and sizes, regarding international students at all levels of study.
“I am delighted to see the large increase in the number of international students who are choosing to study in the United States,” said Judith A. McHale, under secretary of state for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs.
“The all-time high number of international students who studied here in the 2008-09 academic year testifies to the quality and diversity for which American higher education is known around the world.”
According to the survey, universities in California hosted the largest number of foreign students with 93,124, up 10 percent, followed by New York with 74,934, up seven percent, and Texas with 58,188, up 12 percent.
The New York City metropolitan area continues to be the leading city for international students, with 59,322 enrolled in area schools, up eight percent. The Los Angeles metropolitan area is in second place with 42,897 international students, up 11 percent.
Business and Management remains the most popular field of study for international students in the US, increasing by 12 percent and comprising 21 percent percent of the total, followed by Engineering with an 11 percent increase and comprising 18 percent of the total.
Math and Computer Science also increased significantly in 2008-09, up 10 percent from the prior year. After a 15 percent increase in 2007-08, Intensive English Language showed a slight decline in popularity, decreasing by a percent.
International students contribute $17.8 billion to the US economy, through their expenditures on tuition and living expenses, according to the US Department of Commerce.
Open Doors 2009 reports that 65 percent of all international students receive the majority of their funds from personal and family sources. When other sources of foreign funding are included, such as assistance from their home country governments or universities, 70 percent of all international students’ primary funding comes from sources outside of the US.
Also, with a record number of US students studying abroad, China, India, Japan, South Africa and Argentina emerged as the most favoured educational destinations, according to the new survey.
The number of Americans studying abroad increased by 8.5 percent to 262,416 in the 2007-08 academic year.
The survey shows that the number of students to nearly all of the top 25 destinations increased, notably to destinations less traditional for study abroad: China, Ireland, Austria and India (up about 20 percent each), as well as Costa Rica, Japan, Argentina and South Africa (up nearly 15 percent each).
According to separate joint survey conducted by eight leading higher education associations, overall enrolments of international students increased this autumn at half (50 percent or 348) of responding member campuses.
For the first time, the number of institutions reporting increases in students from India do not outweigh those who are reporting declines (29 percent reporting increases and 29 percent reporting declines).
When looking specifically at the largest host institutions (those 121 responding institutions enrolling more than 1,000 students), 50 percent of responding institutions are reporting a decline for students from India and only 31 percent are reporting an increase.
“Despite the economic downturn, many campuses are still seeing increases in international student enrolment for Fall 2009, while others are seeing declines or flattening of enrolments,” said Allan E. Goodman, president and CEO of the Institute of International Education (IIE).
“The impact also varies by country, with reported declining enrolments from India and a few other countries offset on many campuses by surging numbers of students coming from China and strong increases from certain other major sending countries,” he said.