The number of international students attending U.S. colleges and universities exceeded one million for the first time during the 2015-16 academic year according to the 2016 Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange, released on Monday by the Institute of International Education.
The number of overseas students is up 85 percent on ten years ago, to nearly 1,044,000, representing five percent of the total student population at U.S. institutions, with 31.5 percent of them coming from China and Nigeria topping Africa with 10,674 students during the 2015-16 academic year.
The figure, according to the report, is 12.4 per cent higher than previous academic year’s figure of 10,568, the highest number of Nigerians studying in the U.S. since 1986/87 academic year.
“Students from Nigeria study primarily at the undergraduate level: 50.8 per cent undergraduate; 35.6 per cent graduate; 11.5 per cent Optional Practical Training; and 2 per cent non-degree programmes or short-term studies.
“Interestingly, the top five institutions that have received the most Nigerian students are all located in the state of Texas.
“They include Houston Community College, the University of Houston, the University of North Texas, Texas Southern University, and the University of Texas at Arlington,” it stated.
According to the report, other African countries with over 1,000 students in the U.S. during this period include Ghana with 3,049, Kenya with 3,019 and South Africa with 1,813.
The figures show China remains the top sending country, followed by India, Saudi Arabia and South Korea. Nigeria is at fourteen.
