A Closer Look at the Top 3 Sending Countries of International Students

So, where do international students on U.S. campuses come from? When we look at the IIE Open Doors report 2019, we find contenders like China and India that I would have guessed to be at the top, but who is number three? It turns out; it is South Korea, a comparatively small country that sends a large group of students that make our campus life even more diverse. Let’s have a closer look at the numbers and some trends.

China and India are leading the pack

I don’t think it comes as a huge surprise: China is the number one sending country of international students to the U.S. About one-third of all international students come from China, which is about 360.000 in the academic year 2018/2019. Close behind is India, sending about 200.000 a year. The prospect of better future employment prospects, building language skills, and the growing economic wealth of families who are now able to invest in their children’s education are cited as the main drivers.

Remarkable is that India totals about 18% percent of all international students, whereas all following sending countries are represented by less than 5%. Number one and number two are unrivaled in their status and in the sheer number of students, but it also represents two vast countries with large populations.

Small but mighty

Number three is South Korea. A small country, sending about 50.000 international students a year. South Korea’s economic upswing was beginning in the 1990s set of what is now regarded as a long-standing tradition. That is reflected in the comparatively high numbers of students. Families were looking to the U.S. for an opportunity to have a well-regarded degree that promised stable employment but also was an opportunity to address the lack of educational capacity at home, particularly at the graduate level. Numbers have been slowly decreasing over the last years and might change even more in the future.

Recommendations

Open Doors Fact Sheet (Institute for International Education, 2020)

Why Chinese students choose study abroad, by Dandan Cheng (Times Higher Education, 2018)