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Today, it is not surprising to find students from America traveling to nontraditional destinations like Peru and Chile to study even as a growing number of students from countries like China flock the US universities, says a recent report.

The year 2009-10 saw an increase of thirty percent with regard to the number of Chinese students as compared to the previous year according to the Institute of International Education annual study.
While South Korea accounts for 10% of international students in America, India accounts for 15% and China for 19%. According to Educational and Cultural Affairs Secretary of State Ann Stock, reaching out for a global education prepares students to be leaders in their own societies.

Number of American students studying abroad fell in the year 2008-09 possibly due to the economic meltdown says the executive vice president of the institute Peggy Blumenthal. She says that this number is all set to rise in the coming years.

Previously, most of the American students flocked to countries like Spain, Italy and Britain. Today however they prefer studying in countries like Chile, South Korea, Peru, South Africa and Argentina. According to Blumenthal, this is because students wanting to major in different fields prefer studying abroad today.

For example, students wishing to major in public health go to South Africa and study all about the AIDS crisis, environmental majors prefer South America and business majors study in China. Blumenthal also noted that low cost of living could also be a major reason for American students preferring these destinations.

According to the CEO of this institution, Allan E. Goodman, Americans prefer studying in places where English is a fluently spoken language. He said that today, the world has opened up due to English as compared to say, fifteen years ago when there was no chance of studying in places like Germany or France if you were not fluent in their native language.

US still lead in hosting international students as compared to other countries which is predominantly due to the appealing higher education model here. Surveys show that most international students study business management followed by life sciences, physical sciences and engineering, computer science and math.

According to the US Department of Commerce, by way of tuition fee, boarding and room and other expenses, these students contribute at least $20 billion. Universities leading in international student numbers include New York University, University of Illinois and University of Southern California.

Jenny Richard, the chief enrollment and communication officer of the Bryn Mawr College says that there is a rise of freshman Chinese student enrollment in the college this year. She opines that educational opportunities provided by us are certainly enriched by the diverse student population.
She went on to say that this exposed them to different perspectives and offers an opportunity to learn more. This also helps with the growth of the institution.

Chinese and other international students are benefiting from our innovative education model, no doubt. Only hope all deserving American students get the same opportunity in our country.