The 2016 Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange, released on November 15th, finds that there were 21,403 students from Vietnam, making it the 6th leading country of origin among international students in the US, moving up from 9th in 2015. With an increase of 14.3% compared to 2015, Vietnam continues to make steady growth over more than a decade.
Also, the number of international students at US colleges and universities surpassed one million for the first time during the 2015-2016 academic year - an increase of seven percent from the previous year to a new high of nearly 1,044,000 students. Although this represents just five percent of the total student population at US institutions, this strong growth confirms that the United States remains the destination of choice in higher education.
“The significant growth of Vietnamese students attending university in the United States shows the power and importance of people-to-people ties. These students serve as cultural ambassadors - helping Americans better understand the Vietnamese people. And, when they return to Vietnam, they help people better understand the US. Also, these students are able to use their knowledge gained in the US to build a more prosperous Vietnam,” said US Ambassador to Vietnam Ted Osius.
Vietnamese students study primarily at the undergraduate level, with 15.1 percent at the graduate level in 2015-2016, 67.2 percent enrolled at the undergraduate level, 7.8 percent pursuing optional practical training, and 9.9 percent in non-degree programs such as English language or short-term studies.
The US hosts more of the world’s 4.5 million globally mobile college and university students than any other country in the world, more than double the number hosted by the United Kingdom, the second leading host country.
In 2015-2016, there were nearly 69,000 more international students in U.S. higher education compared to the previous year. Open Doors also reports that more than 313,000 U.S. students received credit last year for study abroad during 2014-15, an increase of nearly three percent over the previous year./.