Asian students form the majority of the internationally mobile students around the world. In 2015, over 56% of all international students came from Asia, according to UNESCO.
The two most populous countries—China and India—are the biggest source of international students for many American higher education institutions. In 2016, American universities and colleges enrolled 787,773 international students in master’s and bachelor’s degree programs, according to data released by the US government’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program. One-third of these students were from China and another one-fourth were from India.
Proportion of students from China (1/3) and India (1/4) out of total #intlstudents at Bachelor’s and master’s programs in US #highered pic.twitter.com/lzCEbRsyVD
— interEDGE (@InterEdge_org) January 10, 2017
Asian families and students have a high aspiration for America as a destination. They regard American universities and colleges to be of high quality and reputation.
According to UNESCO, in 2015, 37% of 790,850 Chinese studying abroad were enrolled in US institutions. This proportion is even higher for Indian students. Over 48% of 233,540 Indian students who were studying overseas were in the US.
One of the key difference between these two countries is by their level of education.
Chinese enroll at bachelor’s level while Indians prefer master’s degrees
The total annual cost of an American bachelor’s degree can range from US$ 30,000 to US$70,000, depending on the type of institution and location. Chinese families have a higher likelihood to invest in the high overall cost of undergraduate level programs. Fifty-five percent of all Chinese students in the US are at bachelor’s level, and the remaining 45% are at master’s level.
#IntlStudents in US #HigherEd — Indian students are concentrated at master’s level; 7 times more Chinese bachelor’s students than Indians pic.twitter.com/AtjWkbt3ED
— Di Hu (@CoachDiHu) January 10, 2017
In contrast, the majority of Indian students take bank loans. Given the constraints of affordability, Indian students are more concentrated in shorter duration master’s programs. Ninety percent of all Indian students in the US are at master’s level, and only 10% are at bachelor’s level.
Indian enrollments grow while it slows down for Chinese students
The rate of growth in Chinese students coming to the US has slowed down for a range of factors, including the slowdown in the economy, a high concentration of Chinese students in some American universities and challenges faced by students in finding jobs after graduation.
Shifting growth trends by level of education for Chinese and Indian #IntlStudents in US #HigherEd –China slows down, India pick up pic.twitter.com/NZ9wJnSShW
— Rahul Choudaha, PhD (@DrEducationBlog) January 10, 2017
Indian students grew at a fast pace as the majority enroll in engineering and computer science related fields with higher job opportunities while at the same time, Optional Practical Training (OPT) allows them to gain three years of work experience. The children of the wealthy professional class who were born in the 1990’s are also college-ready and driving the growth.
Despite the negative perceptions of safety and immigration policies among international students, the quality, diversity and reputation of the American higher education system remains strong. American universities and colleges aiming to continue to attract students from these two countries must realize that in times of shifting trends, institutions must do more to support international students to be successful in achieving their academic and career goals.
Good heavens! Is this all the profound insight in the " research paper" of Dr. Choudaha. ? How about spicing up the quality of the article by writing about as to who produces more "Tiger moms and dads"?
It is a bad idea for both India & china as also other nations to send their pupils to USA.The eco system of super powers will be very different compared to the compassionate power which still exists in India or china.
The value of getting educated in the USA is in multiples. Though there are good higher education institutions around the world, using the USA education system helps you: get to know a culture and language which is used around the world – learn how to deal with American systems so you might be more valuable to those who hire you in your country of origin – you can make contacts and network with some people who might be important to your future – but all this depends on how intent students are to learn these skills. Its always good to learn what you can about the dominant society and culture as a super power. China and India are not trying to become more like a much less powerful country like Guatemala or Greece.
The better we understand how international students use the USA higher education systems, and what their needs are the better we can have or build tools and systems of services for them – its a global economy and our interests are elsewhere about as much as in our own back yard. We have more people from other places working and living with us who bring different cultural and societal views of life, business, eucation and the world. Its a 2 way street – we learn from them and they learn from us – we teach them and they teach us – can work better for more of humanity
While Chinese students washes dishes in their day off, most Indians think that they have the biggest brain of all due to their higher grades.
A disappointing article. Feels like I’ve just wasted 3 minutes of my life reading what could be deduced from glancing at the charts. I agree with Perry’s comments.