Post-9/11 resilience shows in international student data

President Barack Obama marked the 15th anniversary of the September 11 terror attacks by honouring American “resilience”. This resilience is also shown in the attractiveness of the United States higher education institutions among international students, write Rahul Choudaha and Di Hu for Forbes.

The data shows that between 2001-02 and 2014-15, the number of international students in US universities and colleges increased by 67% to reach nearly 975,000 students. Five places of origin – China, India, Saudi Arabia, Brazil and Vietnam – experienced a growth of over 100%, while only two places of origin – Taiwan and Japan – experienced a decline in enrolment. The top 10 places of origin for 2014-15 added 376,382 more international students as compared to 2001-02.

China, Vietnam and India expanded on the strength of an expanding economy and middle-class aspirations. In the same period, according to the International Monetary Fund, gross domestic product per capita (based on purchasing power parity) of China, India and Vietnam grew by 311%, 172% and 154% respectively. China’s growth was so dramatic that it contributed to over 60% of the growth between 2001-02 and 2014-15. In contrast, the growth in the number of students from Saudi Arabia and Brazil was driven by government scholarship programmes. Full report on the Forbes site