Since the 1950s, the top sources of international students in the US have changed, with Canada initially leading, followed by Iran in the 1970s, Taiwan and Japan in the 1980s and 90s, and China and India taking the lead from the 2000s onward.
China and India account for a combined 54% of the total international students in the US as of the 2023/2024 academic year.
By 2021, Nigeria entered the top ten, reaching 7th place by 2024.
Since the 2007/08 academic year, Nigeria has consistently held the top spot for the number of African international students in the US. Before this, Kenya and Egypt also led in certain periods.
This trend highlights the evolving landscape of African students pursuing education in the US over the decades.
Nigeria remains the leading African country of origin for students in the US, with over 20,000 enrolled this year.
Ghana, however, recorded the continent's fastest growth rate at 45%. This increase of over 2,900 students brought Ghana’s total to nearly 9,400, making it the second-largest source of African students in the US.
Nigeria also saw a 13.5% rise, adding more than 2,380 students year-over-year.
Overall, the number of students from African countries in the US grew by nearly 12% in the 2023/24 academic year.
Nigeria remained the top African country for students in the U.S., with 20,029 students enrolled in the 2023/2024 academic year, marking a 13.5% increase from the previous year.
Ghana saw the highest growth rate among African nations, with a 45% increase in students, totaling 9,394 in the U.S. during the 2023/2024 academic year.
These countries collectively contributed significantly, with 4,507 (Kenya), 3,078 (Ethiopia), and 2,814 (South Africa) students studying in the U.S. during 2023/2024.
Sub-Saharan Africa was the fastest-growing region for international student mobility to the U.S., experiencing a 13% overall increase in the 2023/2024 academic year.
In the 2020/2021 academic year, Nigeria had 12,900 students, Ghana had 4,200, and Kenya had 3,500 students enrolled in U.S. institutions.
3,930 Nigerians have been issued Canadian Study Permits in H1 2021, 67% of the total figures for 2020. Between 2015 and 2020, more Nigerians were issued this Permit in 2019. Here is a representation of the number of Nigerians issued the Canadian Study Permit from 2015 to H1 2021.
In the 2021/2022 academic year, 2.86 million students studied in UK's higher education institutions, with 680k (23.8%) being international students. Nigerians accounted for 44k (6.5%) of overseas students in the UK, trailing China's 151k (22.3%) and India's 126k (18.6%).
As of 2022, the US had 948,519 international students, 14,438 (1.5%) of whom were Nigerian. Nigeria was ranked tenth among contributing countries to the international student community in the US.
Since 2001, the 2022/23 academic year has recorded the highest number of Nigerians studying in US' higher institutions, adding 3,202 students to the previous academic year to reach 17,640. This represents the biggest addition in the time period.
Out of the 57.5k African students enrolled in US higher institutions for the 2022/23 academic year, nearly one-third — 17.6k (30.7%) — are from Nigeria. The numbers have steadily risen from 3.8k in the 2000/01 academic year.
What fields were Nigerian students in the US enroled in during the 2022/2023 academic year?
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields took centre stage, collectively constituting a substantial 61% of the Nigerian student body.
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