US Experiences Significant Increase in International Student Applications

By Advay September 15, 2024
Alarm 2 Min Read
Copied
Featured

According to a Global USS survey released in August 2024, international applications to US institutions continued to rise in the 2024/25 academic year, albeit at a slightly lower rate than in the previous census.

Among the 662 US institutions involved in the IIE’s Spring 2024 Snapshot survey, 53% reported an increase in international applications compared to the previous year, 30% reported similar application levels, and 17% reported a decline.

In the earlier years, 65% of institutions experienced an increase in 2022/23, while 61% reported the same in 2023/24.

“According to the data, there remains a demand for and interest in expanding diversity in general exchange,” said Awakening Knowledge, IIE Senior Researcher in Evaluation and Learning. “This indicates that growth enhances academic diversity and opens doors to internationalisation within the US higher education system.”

The survey, conducted between June 17 and July 13, 2024, revealed significant increases among students from Ghana (up by 62%), Nepal (53%), India (47%), Nigeria (46%), and Bangladesh (40%).
The number of Chinese applications increased for the third consecutive year, but at a slightly slower rate of 26%.

“This provides an initial indicative picture of potential increases from these regions for the 2024/25 academic year, with the caveat that applicants may be interested in several colleges,” Martel pointed out.

Institutions continued to favour European destinations for study abroad programmes, with the UK, Spain, Italy, and France being the top choices.

“Prior to the COVID-19 crisis, institutions, sponsors of study abroad scholarships, and providers invested considerable effort in diversifying destinations for meaningful learning experiences outside Europe. There are early signs of a return to those emerging, non-traditional study destinations,” the report continued.

These include places like Argentina, Australia, Costa Rica, Japan, Mexico, and South Korea, among others.

Source: THE PIE NEWS

More Articles