International Students Contribute More than $21.8 Billion to the U.S. Economy

WASHINGTON, November 12, 2012 – International students and their families contributed more than $21.8 billion to the U.S. economy during the 2011–2012 academic year, according to a new NAFSA report released today. California, New York, and Texas welcomed the largest numbers of international students, and those and other states across the country saw substantial benefits from spending by these students and their families on living expenses, tuition, and fees.

 “International students bring important economic benefits to the United States. They bring incalculable academic value to U.S. colleges and universities and cultural value to local communities as international enrollments grow,” said NAFSA Executive Director and CEO Marlene M. Johnson. “However, there is much more we can do as a nation to promote student exchange and study abroad and this data clearly points to the potential future benefit of a cohesive and proactive international education strategy for our nation.”

·        See NAFSA’s new international student spending data by state, congressional district, and top receiving institutions of higher education.

·        View results of a snapshot survey of international student enrollments conducted by NAFSA and seven other higher-education and international-education organizations.

The economic impact analysis was conducted for NAFSA by Jason Baumgartner, director of information services, Indiana University-Bloomington’s Office of International Services, using tuition and living expense data provided by Wintergreen Orchard House, a leading college data provider, and foreign student enrollment data provided by the Institute of International Education’s annual “Open Doors” report.

Study Abroad Numbers Released

The numbers of American students studying abroad increased to 273,996 during the 2010-11 academic year, up by 1.25 percent from 270,604 in 2009-10, according to figures released today by the Institute of International Education. Fewer than 2 percent of all American college students study abroad.

·        NAFSA's new report provides a breakdown of the percentage of college students in each state who studied abroad in 2010–2011, allowing institutions and state leaders to gauge how they compare with national trends.

·        NAFSA’s new study abroad demographics chart offers further data on participation trends.

 Note:  Taken from a NAFSA press release