Number of International Students At US Colleges Rising

November 21, 2013

The number of international students studying in the United States is rising. Figures released by the Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange shows the number of foreign students attending U.S. colleges and universities increased seven percent during the 2012 - 2013 academic year. That represents a record high of almost 820,000, and educators expect the upward trend to continue.

In the pursuit of higher learning, the United States is still the top destination.

At the International Student House in Washington, a temporary residence for students from over 40 countries, communications student Neena Dominic from India says the United States was her number one choice.

“It’s a known fact that United States is powerful in terms of its education and its skill level. And I wanted to get a taste of it," she said.

Neena is part of the growing number of students who come to the United States to study.

The majority come from China with over 235-thousand students attending U.S. colleges -- followed by India, South Korea and Saudi Arabia.

Zheng Zhu says the U.S. educational system has surpassed his expectations. But he says the biggest surprise has been Americans.

“I would say U.S. people probably are much nice than what I thought. Really? Yeah," he said.