Open Doors 2011 Data Released; Study Abroad and International Student Numbers Up

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Today, the Institute of International Education (IIE) together with the Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs released the latest news on international students in the United States and U.S. students studying abroad. The Open Doors findings were the topic of a briefing this morning at the National Press Club in Washington, DC, with Assistant Secretary of State (R) Ann Stock and IIE President Allan Goodman, in conjunction with the worldwide observance of International Education Week.

Open Doors was covered in the national news this morning in the United States the increases were reported in today's USA Today, Los Angeles Times, and Business Week. Stories based on the findings have also appeared this morning in state and local news outlets, and overseas papers including Times Higher Education and the Telegraph.

The Chronicle of Higher Education has a special section in this week's paper and online today, with feature coverage related to international students in the U.S., and study abroad, along with tables and charts highlighting the key data.

To access the new data and background information to help explain the trends, go to www.iie.org/opendoors. You can also find results of a Fall 2011 International Student Enrollment Survey that the Institute of International Education conducted jointly with seven other major higher education organizations (American Association of Community Colleges, American Association of State Colleges and Universities, American Association of Community Colleges, American Association of State Colleges and Universities, American Council on Education, Association of American Universities, Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, Council of Graduate Schools, and NAFSA: Association of International Educators), and a Fall 2011 Study Abroad Survey that IIE conducted with the Forum on Education Abroad.

We encourage you to share this information with the media relations office on your campus, and work with them to publicize your institution's success in hosting international students and sending your students to study abroad. You can localize the story by providing details about the students coming to and going from your campus, such as where they come from, where they go, what they study, and what effect this has on your campus and community.
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HIGHLIGHTS:

OPEN DOORS 2011: REPORT ON INTERNATIONAL EDUCATIONAL EXCHANGE

INTERNATIONAL STUDENT ENROLLMENTS INCREASED BY 5 PERCENT IN 2010/11, LED BY STRONG INCREASE IN STUDENTS FROM CHINA

USC top host university; California top host state; NYC top host city; Women represent 45 percent of international students; Business and Management, Engineering remain top fields of study

November 14, 2011 – The number of international students at colleges and universities in the United States increased by five percent to 723,277 during the 2010/11 academic year, according to the Open Doors report, which is published annually by the Institute of International Education (IIE) in partnership with the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. This represents a record high number of international students in the United States. This is the fifth consecutive year that Open Doors figures show growth in the total number of international students, and there are now 32 percent more international students studying at U.S. colleges and universities than there were a decade ago. The 2010/11 rate of growth is stronger than the three percent increase in total international enrollment reported the previous year, and the six percent increase in new international student enrollment this past year shows more robust new growth than the one percent increase the prior year.
» Read full release at www.iie.org/opendoors

STUDY ABROAD BY U.S. STUDENTS ROSE 4 PERCENT IN 2009/10
WITH MORE STUDENTS GOING TO LESS TRADITIONAL DESTINATIONS

Fall 2011 snapshot survey indicates that study abroad numbers continue to increase

November 14, 2011 – The Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange, released today, reports that 270,604 U.S. students studied abroad for credit during the academic year 2009/10, compared to 260,327 the previous year, an increase of 4 percent. Study abroad by students enrolled in U.S. higher education has more than tripled over the past two decades. The increase shown in this year’s Open Doors report returns to the steady rise in study abroad numbers each year since the data has been tracked, with the exception of 2008/09, when world economic conditions had caused a slight dip.
» Read full release at www.iie.org/opendoors