November 16, 2007	Friday	Ziqa’ad 05, 1428

NEW YORK: For the first time since the 2001-02 school year, there has been an increase in the number of foreign students enrolled at colleges and universities in the United States, according to the latest annual report of the Institute of International Education.Titled the ‘2007 Open Doors Report’, and supported by the US State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, it found a modest three percent increase, to a total of 582,984 international students.

The figures are based on surveys of more than 2,800 higher education institutions in the United States.

“I think the American higher education community and the United States government over the past several years have really reached out to international students and scholars,” Allan Goodman, president of the IIE, which was founded nearly 90 years ago to promote academic freedom and exchange, said.

“We have fixed the visa processing procedures [after tougher regulations following the 9/11 attacks] in a way that people understand and we have continued to send out the message that our country and our campuses welcome international students,” he said.

According to figures from the US State Department Bureau of Consular Affairs, the number of exchange and student visas issued in 2007 rose 10.2 per cent compared to last year.

In general, more students worldwide are choosing to study abroad. But while the number of students choosing the US is increasing, the total share of the United States overall of the international student market is declining.

According to the American Council on Education, between 1999 and 2004, international student enrolment in the US rose by just 17 per cent, whereas Japan’s share increased by 81 per cent and European countries often welcomed over 40 per cent more international students.

Asked whether this has anything to do with the deteriorating image of the United States abroad, which numerous polls suggest has been closely tied to President George Bush’s ‘war on terror’, Goodman answered, “I do not think so. I think what matters most to students and their parents is quality of education. They can get the transparency of the process, and that’s why people still really want to come to America. People are discovering there are many places you can go for education, and it has much less to do with the image of any one country.”

“We’re still the number one destination and we still get more students then any other country. There are just more students now studying internationally then ever before. Our share of the pie is indeed smaller then it was 10 years ago,” he said.

Asia sends the most students to the US, and for the sixth consecutive year, India was the leading source country, with 83,833 Indian students enrolled in US institutions of higher education.

China and the Republic of Korea, accounting for 67,723 and 62,392 international students in the US, respectively, complete the top three. Together, India, China and the Republic of Korea account for 59 per cent of student enrolments.

The biggest increase was noted in the number of Saudi Arabian students. The report also shows a 25 per cent increase in students from the Middle East. Interestingly, more students from Iran, Iraq and the Palestinian Authority chose to study in the US the last school year compared to 2005-2006.

Goodman said that trend did not surprise him, because “anybody that works in my field knows a fundamental rule: you know that educational exchange works in good times, but it also works in difficult times. Whether there are conflicts or disagreements between countries, people tend to want to get the best education possible.”

The number of students from Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman and the United Arab Emirates decreased, however. According to Goodman, there is a different explanation for each individual country, and after further analysing the data IIE will come to a better understanding of what is happening at the national levels.

“In a world where higher education is in very short supply, it’s just very important to have countries like America who have more capacity and keep their doors open and get that word out,” Goodman stressed.

“Academic exchange is vital for the US,” Goodman stressed. “It enables us to reach out to people all over the world to get the best minds and best talents to come to our schools and work on problems. It makes friends for our country and when people leave to go back home, which we very much hope they do, they go at a better appreciation for our people, our culture and our country.”—Dawn/The IPS News Service