Nigeria now ranks 10th largest country sending students abroad to study, according to a new report.
An increasing number of students are crossing the globe to gain practical, international experience that they can apply in their careers and life in a global society.
The 2022 Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange, released on Monday, finds that new international student enrollment in the United States has rebounded and increased by 80 percent, raising the total number of international students enrolled in U.S. institutions by four percent.
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International students are returning to in-person studies in the US, with 90 percent of all enrolled students attending in-person classes. The return to campuses allows international students to build life-long connections with American peers, increase collaboration within and across fields of study, and grow America’s international partnerships to address current and global challenges.
The new Open Doors Report indicates there was a 12.3 percent increase in the number of students from Nigeria studying in the US for the 2021/2022 academic year. This represents a total of 14,438 Nigerian students, which is 33 per cent of all African students studying in the US. This means that Nigeria remains the leading source of students from Africa and the 10th largest country worldwide sending international students in the US. Nigerian students in the US primarily study at the graduate level, with the remaining 31 per cent enrolled in undergraduate studies, 17 per cent pursuing optional practical training, and two per cent in non-degree programmes or short-term studies.
Open Doors 2022, released Monday by the Institute of International Education (IIE) and the US Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, highlights the continued competitiveness of the US higher education sector as a destination of choice for international students. It also captures the growing interest in international educational exchange between US students.?The release of the new Open Doorsdata marks the celebration of International Education Week, a joint initiative of the US Department of State and the US Department of Education, to prepare Americans for a global environment and attract future leaders from other countries to study, learn, and exchange experiences in the US.
The Open Doors report is published annually by the Institute of International Education in partnership with the US Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.