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Every year, a remarkable proportion of students from plenty of countries across the globe opt to undertake their higher studies in the United States. Based on the Fast Facts report of OpenDoors2022, it is evident that the number of international students enrolled at American colleges, and universities during the academic year 2021/22 reached 948,519, representing a 4% increase compared to the previous year.
These students hailed from more than 200 countries worldwide. The number of international students who registered for the first time in American schools and institutions had a significant increase of 80%, reaching a total of 261,961 in the academic year 2021/2022. The number of international students has rebounded to levels observed prior to the onset of the pandemic. All universities and colleges experienced an increase in enrollment due to the addition of abroad students. All academic levels had more admissions. Take a look at the facts figure below-
Data of International Students in the USA
S/N Name of the country 2020-21 2021-22
1 China 317,299 290,086
2 India 167,582 199,182
3 South Korea 39,491 40,755
4 Canada 25,143 27,013
5 Vietnam 21,631 20,713
6 Saudi Arabia 21,933 18,206
7 Japan 11,785 13,449
8 Nepal 11,172 11,779
9 Bangladesh 8,598 10,597
10 Pakistan 7,475 8,772
(Source: https://opendoorsdata.org/annual-release/international-students/#data-highlights)
Why do students from other countries choose to get their higher education in the United States rather than their other countries? This is a result of a wide variety of diverse contributing elements. There are about 4,000 universities that are considered to be of higher studies in the United States. International students in the United States of America have access to a cutting-edge and modern learning environment as a result of the country's education system.
According to the results of the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, the United States of America is home to most of the world's top-ranking universities. Students from foreign countries are eligible to receive the most prestigious iteration of the Fullbright scholarship, which is offered by the United States government. Aside from that, every university provides different scholarships, and in addition to that, they provide graduate assistantships (GA), which might include teaching assistantships (TA) and research assistantships (RA), to students pursuing master's degrees and doctoral degrees. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, a significant percentage of educational institutions in the United States have chosen to waive the obligatory language test. These universities include those that require the GRE, SAT, TOEFL, and GMAT.
This decision has had a widespread repercussion, one that has an effect on educational institutions all around the world. However, the number of Bangladeshi students who were enrolled in higher education programmes in the United States rose steadily from 8,598 in 2021 to 10,597 in 2022. International students have a great interest in attending colleges and universities in the United States because of the massive variety of options that are available there. Students, once they have finished their education, are given the chance to select from a broad variety of work opportunities and the possibility of obtaining permanent residency, which is more generally referred to as a Green Card. Additionally, students have the chance to get dependent visas for their family members who wish to accompany them to the United States. Students who are interested in attending a university in the United States will find the following information helpful. You should begin by preparing for language examinations such as the IELTS, the GRE, or the GMAT. The next step is to select the department, field, and university that you want to attend. It is possible to submit applications to universities in the United States in any one of these four seasons: fall, spring, summer, or winter.
However, during the Fall and Spring semesters of each academic year, the majority of colleges in the United States provide scholarships and other forms of financial aid. August marks the beginning of the academic year's Fall semester, while January ushers in the New Year's Spring semester. In the majority of instances, students are required to apply for an F1 visa after first getting admission and then applying for a visa to enter the United States. The subsequent step in the process is to submit an application for a visa to be able to study in the United States. Moreover, a huge number of students from all over the world are traveling to the United States at this time to enroll in the fall semester program, therefore it is important to get all visa procedures completed to arrange housing for accommodation and also reserve the airplane ticket. Wish you good luck for the forthcoming students.
The writer is Associate Professor of Khulna University, Bangladesh & Graduate Assistant of University of Southern Mississippi, USA
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