Students looking for new places to learn
Wed, November 19 2008
The Institute of International Education (IIE), a U.S. based non-profit educational and cultural exchange organization, in a new report said “American students” are increasingly seeking non-traditional destinations to study abroad.
“There is a strong growth in the numbers of U.S. students going to China, India, South Africa, Argentina and Ecuador,” the report said.
“Although the numbers remain relatively small in comparison — 2,627 American students studied in India during the 2006-2007 academic year, it is a 24 per cent increase,” it added.
Students electing to study in Asia increased by 20 per cent, those going to Africa increased by 19 per cent, and those going to Latin America and the Middle East each increased by seven per cent, as compared to the previous academic year.
At least 36 per cent of students studying abroad do so through semester-long programs, while 55 per cent choose short-term programs.
Meanwhile, the study revealed that Indians are the largest foreign student population in the U.S. and their number has grown by nearly 13 per cent.
The number of Indian students at the U.S. educational institutions went to the highest so far in the 2007-2008 academic year — reaching a total of 94,563 students, or a 12.8 per cent increase over the previous year.
Since 2001, Indians have been the largest foreign student population on the U.S. campuses, comprising 15.2 per cent of the total international students.
The report said in the U.S. there were 623,805 foreign students in the academic year 2007-2008.
Adam Grotsky, Executive Director of the U.S.-India Educational Foundation said, “The U.S. remains the preferred destination for students from India who want to study abroad. Year after year, we see a growing interest in collaborations between the U.S .and Indian educational institutions.”
-IANS
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