International Education Week 2014

This week is International Education Week 2014. One major event that occurs every year is the release of the Institute of International Education’s (IIE) Open Doors report at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. At this event, the U.S. Department of State and IIE share annual data on study abroad and the latest trends in student mobility.

This year’s briefing noted 7 major trends:

1. The US saw an overall growth of study abroad numbers by 2.1%. The UK makes up 12.51% of the US study abroad market. This is a .28% market share increase from last year and the biggest jump in the last 10 years. 
2. The UK saw a second consecutive 4.5% increase in American students studying abroad with a total of 36,210 in the 2012/2013 academic year helping it remain the top study abroad destination for US students. This accounts for 12.5% of the total US study abroad population.
3. Of all American study abroad students, approximately:
   
   • 23% study STEM
     
     1. This is the first year where STEM students are the highest proportion of students studying abroad.
   • 22% study social science
   • 20% study business
   • 10% study humanities
4. There has been a decline in the number of students from India studying in the US the last 3 years, but this year the US has seen a 6% increase due to higher numbers of Indian students pursing graduate degrees in the US.
5. IIE reported that 19% of UK HE enrolment is international students (2% increase from the previous year); in the US, international students comprise only 4.2% of enrolment.
6. There is currently a 2% growth rate of US students studying abroad – at this rate, it would take 25 years for study abroad rates to double (took only 15 years for it to double to the current figures). A 14.5% growth rate is needed to double study abroad by the end of the decade.

• Be realistic in your study abroad growth!

7. Of the top 25 leading destinations for Americans to study abroad, the UK has more students than the rest of the Anglophone speaking countries combined.