Contact: Debbie Gardner/Heidi Reinholdt,
For a.m. release December 6, 1999 [email protected], 212-734-2190
or Sharon Witherell, IIE/Public Affairs [email protected], 212/984-5380
1998-1999 INTERNATIONAL STUDENT ENROLLMENT TOPS 490,000
AT UNITED STATES COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES
Despite Asian Currency Crisis, Foreign Student Enrollments Are Up 2%
Foreign Students Contribute $13 Billion to the U.S. Economy
NEW YORK, NY, December 6, 1999 -- The number of foreign students attending colleges and universities in the United States increased 2% in the 1998-99 school year to a record total of 490,933, according to Open Doors 1998/99, the annual report on international education published by the Institute of International Education (IIE) with support from the Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.
This year's increase continues an upswing in foreign enrollment that began with last year's 5% increase in foreign enrollment, reversing a four-year trend of minimal growth. In response to the latest edition of Open Doors, Keith Geiger, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Academic Programs at the U.S. Department of State, which funds the Open Doors study, stated: "The presence of international students in ever-increasing numbers on our campuses brings a wealth of benefits to our country. It ensures that there will be a cadre of people around the world who understand the United States in very profound ways, which in turn will lead to improved bilateral relations, enhanced business relationships, and increased cultural ties. These students also have a significant economic impact in their communities in the U.S. The U.S. Department of State's goal for the future is to continue to overcome barriers to international educational exchange between the U.S. and other countries and to implement an action plan to maintain U.S. leadership in this area."
According to IIE president Allan E. Goodman, "The increase in foreign student enrollment is particularly impressive this year in light of the Asian financial crisis, which had a substantial negative impact on enrollment from many Asian countries. But U.S. campuses cannot afford to be complacent about these figures, since many other countries have vigorous nationally-coordinated recruitment efforts which have reduced America's overall market share of this vital international talent pool."
There were substantial drops in enrollments from certain Asian countries hit hard by the economic crisis at home. Largest declines came from Korea (down 9%), Thailand (down 17%), Indonesia (down 9%), Hong Kong (down 10%) and Malaysia (down 21%). Said Dr. Goodman, "These figures would have looked even worse had it not been for the tremendous support and financial relief provided by individual U.S. colleges and universities and such national efforts as IIE's ASIA-HELP emergency loan program, funded by the Freeman Foundation. Hopefully we have seen these declines bottom out, as the students' home economies are recovering." The decline in enrollments from these Asian countries were offset by substantial increases in students from China (up 9%, to 51,001 students), India (up 11% to 37,482) and Brazil (up 15% to 8,052).
China displaced Japan this year as the leading sending country. China's dramatic increase contrasts with a modest drop in the number of students from Japan (- 1.4% to 46,406), continuing a six year trend of flat growth in Japanese students on U.S. campuses. Asian students once again make up over half of international enrollments (56%). (See Fast Facts for top sending countries).
Open Doors 1998/99 reports that although foreign students comprise only 3% of America's total higher education population, they contribute more than $13 billion dollars to the U.S. economy in money spent on tuition, living expenses, and related costs. Over 75% of all foreign student funding comes from personal and family sources or other sources outside of the United States. Department of Commerce data describe U.S. higher education as the country's fifth largest service sector export. The economic impact of foreign students was recalculated this year using more detailed estimates based on tuition data provided by the College Board and cost of living expenses provided by NAFSA: Association of International Educators. Living expenses include room/board, books and supplies, transportation, health insurance, support for accompanying family members, and other miscellaneous expenses.
Highlights from Open Doors 1998/99.
(Available on IIE's website: http://www.opendoorsweb.org )
China is the leading country of origin for foreign students (51,001), followed by Japan (46,406) -- last year's leading sender -- and Korea (39,199). Asian students make up over one half of international student enrollment (56%) and declined 0.9% to 275,076.
Foreign student enrollment decreased from 4 of the 15 largest senders in Asia: (Japan, Korea, Thailand, Malaysia and Hong Kong). These decreases were offset by exceptional growth in students from India (11%), China (9%) and Brazil (15%).
New York City is the world capital for foreign students with 30,150 in the five boroughs. Los Angeles County (22,509) edged out New York County (Manhattan) (22,052) as number one host county in the nation. Ten percent of all international students in the United States (45,713 students) study within a 50-mile radius of mid-town Manhattan.
New York University first: For the second year in a row, New York University's foreign student enrollment (4,749) was the largest, followed by Boston University (4,447), UCLA (4,278), Columbia University (4,165) and University of Texas at Austin (3,822). One hundred and twenty-five U.S. colleges and universities hosted 1,000 or more foreign students. The 25 campuses with the largest foreign enrollment each hosted over 2,500 foreign students.
California enrolls most: The leading host state, California, was down by 2% this year to 64,011 foreign students, followed by New York (up 6% to 51,190) Texas (up 11% to 32,690), Massachusetts (up 2.4% to 27,782), Florida (up 8 % to 22,853) and Illinois (up 2% to 21,100).
Families provide funds: Over two-thirds (67%) of all foreign students receive the majority of their funds from family and personal sources. Over three-quarters receive most of their funding from sources outside of the United States.
Postdoctoral scholars: A total of 70,501 foreign scholars (up 7.6%) were reported by U.S. higher education institutions as teaching or conducting research on U.S. campuses during 1998/99, with the vast majority doing research only. Some four in ten (43%) foreign scholars come from Asia. The largest numbers came from China (11,854), Japan (5,572), and Germany (5,161).
Intensive English Programs: The Asian financial crisis strongly affected this year's IEP enrollment of 44,021, an overall drop of 18.6%. This comes after a 10-year run of enrollment rises. Drops were mostly among students from Asian countries hardest hit by the economic crises at home.
The Open Doors report is published by the Institute of International Education, the leading not-for-profit educational and cultural exchange organization in the United States. IIE has conducted the annual statistical survey of the foreign students in the United States since 1949. A grant from the U.S. State Department supports the Open Doors project. The census is based on a survey of 2,588 accredited U.S. institutions, with a 95.6% response. Additional surveys are conducted and findings reported in Open Doors on foreign scholars, U.S. students abroad, and foreign students enrolled in pre-academic Intensive English Programs.
Open Doors 1998/99 is available from IIE Books for $42.95. The new book provides approximately 96 pages of data and graphics highlighting key facts and trends in international student and faculty flows. Additional statistics are available on IIE's website at http://www.opendoorsweb.org.
Custom research reports based on the most currently available international student data are available for a fee from IIE Research at 212-984-5348. Open Doors 1998/99 can be ordered from IIE Books at 800-445-0443 toll free in U.S., or by e-mail from [email protected]. The new edition may be purchased at the IIE Online Bookstore: http://www.iiebooks.org.
A limited number of review copies of the report are available to the press from IIE's media relations counsel, Halstead Communications/College Connections. Call Deborah Gardner/Heidi Reinholdt at 212-734-2190, or e-mail [email protected].
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