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

'Sunshine and Shade' - A New Documentary on the Experiences of Indian Students in Australia to be Broadcast on Public TV in India

Rob Malicki from AIM Overseas analyses the Australian Government's recent announcement of the AsiaBound program to increase the number of Australian students studying in Asia.

 

You can learn more about AIM Overseas and the contributions they are making to outbound mobility research and policy in Australia via their website.

Study Abroad Tweets of the Day [U.S. Election Edition]

Here are the study abroad tweets of the day pertaining to the results of the U.S. Election last night.  These tweets, of course, are only a sampling taken at a specific moment in time.  Quite interesting!  What is/are your favorite(s)?


Well even tho yesterday didnt end how i wanted,on the plus side,I not only picked 2 majors & a minor,but I applied to study abroad aswell :)

oh you're going to study abroad for 4 years,in a country that is most likely far more liberal than the u.s.? fucktards galore on fb/twitter

I'm not going to study abroad in Amsterdam anymore, they're cracking down! I'll just take a gap semester to Colorado instead ;)

I'm going to study abroad these next 4 years after last night

I'm leaving the country. Not because of Obama, but because I might study abroad

Disgrunteled about the election? You could always study abroad... #election2012 #studyabroad

I think I need to move to another Country for the next 4 years. Study abroad?!

Everything I voted against passed. Maybe it's time to go study abroad and let y'all deal with the mess y'all have made.


okay phew thanks america, i will go to the study abroad meeting later after all #Obama

Im glad I dont have to study abroad... If Romney wouldve won I wouldve left.. But congrats Obama"

Good.. move to Antarctica, Canada, or even study abroad for two years! We don't want bad attitudes here anyways. #BeGone

we can all have a giant political convo tomorrow! I have a meeting though for study abroad so after

I might study abroad in Colorado now...

To all the people saying the will study abroad or move, haha BYE! Sad to see you leave #notreally #pleasetakeoffense

Well, I'm gonna go study abroad for the next four years. If you need me I'll be in Italy

Think it's time to study abroad, try to learn how to make money in a socialist economy.

Now I don't have to study abroad for the next 5 semesters!!! #OBAMA12 #mypresidentisblack #obama4POTUS

Can I study abroad in Colorado?

HELLOOOOO Parliamentary System, Can i just study abroad now or....?

"Mom I want to study abroad. But not in a different country that's dangerous. I was thinking, and this is just a suggestion, maybe Colorado"

New Video Launched by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) Titled "Student to Student: Studying in the States"

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) recently launched a video titled Student to Student: Studying in the States. The video provides prospective and current international students with the key tips they should keep in mind in order to stay in compliance with U.S. immigration rules and ensure their time studying in the United States is a positive one.

The video, narrated by international students, underlines key advice about the international student process. Student to Student is a first of its kind Department of HomelandSecurity video focused on U.S. immigration rules for international students.

Student to Student is posted on the ICE YouTube channel and featured on Study in the States, a website that serves as a clearinghouse of information from all government agencies involved in the international student process. It is part of a Department of Homeland Security initiative to make information more accessible and encourage the best and brightest international students to study and learn about expanded post-graduate opportunities in the United States.

Forthcoming: "Beyond Abroad: Innovative Re-entry Exercises" by Melibee Global

Learn more over at Melibee Global

Disclaimer:  I receive no compensation for posting about "Beyond Abroad: Innovative Re-entry Exercises" nor will I receive any compensation from sales of this resource.  I did conduct a review of this publication in the early stages of conception and provided feedback and for that I will receive a hard copy.  I really like what Missy Gluckmann is doing over at Melibee Global and I simply wanted to put this resource on the radar of IHEC Blog readers.

Studying Abroad over Thanksgiving Break?

As many know, I post a daily "Study Abroad Tweet of the Day" over on IHEC Blog's Facebook page (which is really the place to be right now as my schedule has been so busy that I haven't posted here on IHEC Blog for a long time and I'm using the FB page as a micro-blog).  Today I selected the following tweet"

"Got an email about study abroad in Cuba thanksgiving break"

There are a couple of reasons why I selected this to be the tweet of the day.  The first reason is because last week the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) within the U.S. Treasury Department began to renew people-to-people licenses.  Second, and more importantly, I was struck by the use of the term "study abroad" during Thanksgiving break.

To be sure, there are many unknown variables about this Cuba study abroad program such as how long would this program be?  Would it be 4-5 days and does this include travel?  What is the itinerary and the number of academic contact hours?  You could fit 30 contact hours into this type of short-term program.  You get the picture...I don't need to list more.

A question I have is:  Is this really study abroad?  In other words, can you really have a study abroad program over Thanksgiving break?

There are many opinions on this short-term study abroad programming and I would love to hear what you think in the comment section below!

For the sake of argument let's say that this visit to Cuba is five days long and is indeed a study abroad program where the participants receive academic credit (thus making them eligible to be counted in the annual Open Doors data collection effort).  These study abroad participants return to campus with grades and academic credit in hand, they join the study abroad alumni club and hopefully integrate this experience into future academic work such as writing a paper or BA on Cuba.

As these returned study abroad students enter their fourth-year (aka Senior year) they learn that highlighting a study abroad experience one's resume or working it into an interview may provide an advantage over other applicants who did not study abroad (according to some research).

Questions I have about this scenario include:

How should a student list a five day study abroad trip to Cuba on their resume?

Would recruiters/employers view this time in Cuba as a study abroad experience?

Could listing a five day academic experience in Cuba on a resume as participation on a study abroad program actually hurt one's application?

What are your thoughts?