Call to Increase US Student Mobility

The president of the Institute of International Education (IIE), Dr Goodman, has called for a substantial increase in US outward student mobility. This is despite figures in the latest IIE Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange (Open Doors 2013), which show that international student mobility in and out of the US has reached record highs.

The report marks the start of International Education Week (IEW), a joint initiative by the US Department of State and the US Department of Education to promote the benefits of international education and exchange worldwide.

Commenting on the fact that less than 10% of US undergraduate students choose to study abroad before they graduate, Dr Goodman said: “We need to increase substantially the number of US students who go abroad so that they… can gain the international experience which is so vital to career success and deepening mutual understanding.”

Record high numbers of international students – but low percentages

The Open Doors 2013 data shows that the number of undergraduate- and graduate-level international students studying at US colleges and universities has increased for the seventh year in a row, growing by 55,000 in 2012/13 to reach a record high of 819,644.

This is a 40% increase in inward student mobility over the last decade, but still constitutes less than 4% of the 21 million students enrolled in US higher education. International student numbers in the US as a percentage of total students has grown less than half a percent in the last ten years, from 3.5% to 3.9%. However, there are signs that this rate will increase. New international student enrollment grew by 10% this year, following growth of 6.5% the previous year. In 2009/10, at the height of the economic crisis, growth was only 1.3%.

Similarly, although the number of US students studying abroad reached a record high of 283,332 in 2011/12 - more than triple the number in 1991/92 – this still only represents 1.4% of all US higher education students. And the percentage of US undergraduate students choosing to study abroad during their degree program has remained constant at less than 10% of the 2.6 million undergraduate degrees awarded per year. At bachelor’s level the figure improves to 14.2%.

Evan M. Ryan, Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA), which manages a range of academic, professional, and cultural exchanges, said: “International education promotes the relationship building and knowledge exchange between people and communities in the United States and around the world that are necessary to solve global challenges… We encourage US schools to continue to welcome more international students to their campuses and to do more to make study abroad a reality for all of their students.”

More key findings from Open Doors 2013:

• Improvement across all the top 20 host universities

The ECA’s message has been heard by the US’s top 20 host universities, which all show improvement in international student numbers this year. The University of Southern California continues to host the largest number of international students for the twelfth year running, followed closely by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Purdue University, New York University, and Columbia University.

• China remains the leading source of international students

Open Doors 2013 also shows that China remains the leading country of origin for international students in the US, accounting for almost 30% of international students in 2012/13. Student numbers from China grew by 21%, following growth of 23% the previous year. The top three countries of origin are China, India and South Korea, which together account for almost half the international students in the US.

However, the highest growth rate is from Kuwait, which sent 37.4% more students this year, an increase from 3,722 to 5,115. This has been attributed to continued expansion of the Kuwaiti government’s international scholarship programs.

Scholarship programs are also believed to have helped increase inward student mobility from Saudi Arabia, Iran and Brazil. Saudi Arabia sent 30.5% more students than the previous year, and Iran and Brazil sent 25.2% and 20.4% more students respectively.

• UK still the most popular destination for US students

The UK remains the preferred choice for US students heading abroad, with numbers growing by 4.5% in 2011/12 to 34,660. This is followed by Italy, Spain, France and China. Numbers to Spain and China grew by 2% each, but 2.4% fewer students chose Italy. By far the most significant increase was in US students going to Japan – numbers rose by 28% as programs resumed after the March 2011 tsunami.

• Mutual benefits of student mobility

Finally, the report highlights the mutual benefits of student mobility both into and out of the US. The country retains its position as the leading destination for international students, who, Dr Goodman said, “benefit from access to some of the finest professors and research laboratories in the world.” At the same time, Goodman argued, US students “benefit substantially from the presence of international students who bring their own unique perspectives and knowledge to the classroom and the wider community.”

In a future in which all careers will be “global”, Goodman argued that choosing to spend time studying abroad would help US students “to function effectively in multi-national teams” and to “understand the cultural differences and historical experiences that divide us, as well as the common values and humanity that unite us.”

Do you agree that more US students should study abroad? Share your opinion in the comments below.