The United States government has revealed that Nigerian students studying in the country have increased to 13,423 in the 2018/2019 academic session.
The US Mission in Abuja disclosed this in a statement issued on Monday in Abuja, quoting an Open Doors 2019 report, released Monday by the Institute of International Education (IIE) and the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
The US said that the new report indicated that there was a 5.8 per cent increase in the number of students from Nigeria who are currently studying in the U.S
It said the report revealed that the number of international students in the U.S set an all‐time high in the 2018/19 academic year, the fourth consecutive year with more than one million international students.
It stated: “The total number of international students, 1,095,299, is a 0.05 per cent increase over last year, according to the 2019 Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange.
“This percentage represents a total of 13,423 Nigerian students studying in the U.S. in the 2018/2019 academic session. This number also represents 33% of the overall African students in the U.S., making Nigeria the leading source of students from the continent and 11th largest country worldwide.
“This number also represents 33% of the overall African students in the US., making Nigeria the leading source of students from the continent and 11th largest country worldwide.”
The US said that Nigerians are enrolled in more than 1,000 institutions in 51 states and territories in the country, out of which 18 per cent are studying in Texas.
It noted that Nigerian students using EducationUSA services recorded $16 million in scholarships and financial aid awarded to newly admitted students for the 2019 academic year.