In the year 2016-2017, as many as 7,143 students from Bangladesh were studying in the United States (USA), registering a nearly 10 percent growth from the previous year, a US report said Monday.
As such Bangladesh is the 25th leading place of origin for students coming to the United States, according to the 2017 Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange data released by IIE and US Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
Overall the number of international students in the United States increased by three percent over the prior year, and the number of American students studying abroad increased by four percent from the prior year. The chart is topped by China with 350,755 students, followed by India with 186,267 students.
Nepal with 11,607 students is ranked 13th and is the only other South Asian country among top 25.
According to the report, the majority of Bangladesh students in the US study at the graduate level. In 2016/17, their breakdown was 25.4 percent undergraduate; 60.5 percent graduate students; 1.4 percent other and 12.8 percent OPT (Optional Practical Training).
As per a US Department of Commerce estimates, last year Bangladesh students in US colleges and universities contributed USD249 million to the US economy.
The number of students from Bangladesh was at a peak of about 4,100 in 2000/01 and subsequently decreased for seven years to a low of 2,300. Since then, it has increased steadily, with double-digit increases since 2011. In 2016/17, students from Bangladesh rose to a new high of 7,143.
According to the report, in 2016/17, for the second consecutive year, US colleges and universities hosted more than one million international students, reaching a record high of 1.08 million. This also marks the eleventh consecutive year of continued expansion of the total number of international students in US higher education, it said.
Notably, the number of new international students – those enrolled at a US institution for the first time in fall 2016, declined by nearly 10,000 students to about 291,000, a three percent decrease from the previous year. This is the first time that these numbers have declined in the six years since Open Doors has reported new enrollments.
The factors driving the decline include a mix of global and local economic conditions, and in some cases expanded higher education opportunities at home and declining populations, the report said.
“International student exchange is an essential contributor to America’s economic competitiveness and national security. The US higher education sector remains the global leader in welcoming students from around the world, and at the same time, we are committed to increasing opportunities to study abroad for Americans,” said Alyson L. Grunder, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Policy in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
IIE President and CEO Allan E. Goodman said countries and multinational employers around the world are competing to attract top talent. “As more countries become active hosts of international students and implement national strategies to attract them, the competition for top global talent in higher education and the workforce will only intensify,” he said.
Noting that students continue to be attracted to the high quality and diverse opportunities offered by U.S. colleges and universities, he said, it is critical for US institutions to set strategic goals and be proactive in reaching out to students and families in a wide range of countries in the coming year, and for the United States to keep its academic doors open to students from all over the world.
