Pakistan among fastest growing markets for international students in USA

• Number of Pakistani students studying in US increased by 5.6 percent during 2018-19.
• Pakistan sent 7,957 students to USA in 2018-19, as compared to 7,537 students sent last year.

Pakistan has emerged as one of the fastest growing emerging market countries for international students studying in United States of America.

As per the 2019 Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange report, released by the Institute of International Education (IIE) and the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, the number of Pakistani students studying in US increased by 5.6 percent during 2018-19.

Emerging market countries showed some of the strongest growth year over year, especially Bangladesh (+10.0 percent), Brazil (+9.8 percent), Nigeria (+5.8 percent), and Pakistan (+5.6 percent).

Pakistan sent 7,957 students to USA in 2018-19, as compared to 7,537 students sent last year. As per the academic level, out of the 7,957 students, 3,505 students were undergraduate, 2,761 graduate, 306 were non-degree, and 1,385 students were part of the optional practical training (OPT).

However, the number of Pakistani students are minuscule as compared to China, which remained the largest source of international students in the United States in 2018/19 with 369,548 students in undergraduate, graduate, non-degree, and OPT programs, a 1.7 percent increase from 2017/18.

Whereas, neighboring India was second on the list with 202,014 students in USA, an increase of 2.9 percent.

Overall, the number of international students in the United States set an all-time high in the 2018/19 academic year, with total number of international students, 1,095,299, a 0.05 percent increase over last year.