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SEVIS by the Numbers

28/01/2013

SEVIS by the Numbers is a statistical breakdown of the (SEVIS) system’s performance and trends in foreign student representation in US academic and exchange programs.  Below is the “latest” SEVIS by the Numbers update.  (Note:  The PPT file has since been removed from the SEVIS website.)  What used to be quarterly updates appear to have changed to biannual updates, if the September report is any indication.   Many of us who follow these trends actually prefer the quarterly updates to the annual Open Doors reports on international academic mobility, which use data that are already a year old. 

On 1 October 2012, SEVIS (Student and Exchange Visitor Information System) contained records for 1,275,285 active nonimmigrant students, exchange visitors, and their dependents. The total number of records for all F-1, M-1, and J-1 visa holders has increased to approximately 10.1 million. There are 44,203 international students enrolled in secondary schools, including a sizable number from Vietnam. 

Vietnam enrollment increased from 18,537 in March 2012 to 19,312, a 4% increase.  Vietnam continues to lead the third tier of “top ten” schools (8th) with more students in the US than Mexico (9th) or Brazil (10th). My guess is that will surpass Taiwan and Japan in the next five (5) years.

Top Ten Country of Citizenship (9-12)

Other Highlights

  • China continues to have the highest number of active students (248,760), a 23% increase in two quarters.  South Korea remains a distant second with 104,948, a slight decrease over March 2012.  India is not far behind with 97,883, also a slight decrease. 
  • Business continues to be the leading major for international students (192,628).
  • 70% of active students are enrolled in bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral programs.
  • California (159,407), New York (113,043), Texas (68,492), Massachusetts (57,275), Florida (43,090), Illinois (42,026), Ohio (30,465) and Pennsylvania (39,761) host 58% of all active students, a 3% increase over March 2012.  California, Texas, and Washington enroll over 50% of all Vietnamese students. 
  • 36% of all SEVP-approved schools are in California, New York, Florida, Texas and Pennsylvania. (Note: “An approved school may offer several levels of education from pre-school, elementary, high school, to post-secondary education level.”)
  • Of SEVIS-approved schools with active students, the visa distribution is as follows: 83%/F, 11% F/M and 6%/M. Of the top five F-1 and M-1 approved schools three are community colleges: Cornell University (5,046), Santa Monica College (3,572), Houston Community College System (3,443), the University of Iowa (3,073) and Northern Virginia Community College (2,198).
  • The top five F-1 approved schools are CUNY (9,885), Purdue University (9,517), USC (9,397), University of Illinois (8,901) and Columbia University (8,579).
  • The top five schools with active students on a M-1 visa are: Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry (683), TransPac Aviation Academy (378), Orlando Flight Training (288), U.S. Aviation Academy (211) and the IASCO Flight Crew Training Center (204).

Students by State (9-12)

As I mentioned in my last two SEVIS updates, the Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry, whose slogan is Your kingdom come… on earth as in heaven, and which doesn’t appear to be accredited (dear reader, please correct me if I’m wrong; only God is perfect), ”is committed to the truth that God loves people, gave Himself for them and has given His Church supernatural power to bring individuals and nations into wholeness. God is in a good mood! Inaugurated in 1998 with 36 students, the school emphasizes that believers need to return to the ministry of signs and wonders—to minister in love, truth and the power of God. The mission of BSSM is to equip and deploy followers of Jesus Christ who passionately pursue transformation in their God-given spheres of influence. In the 2011/2012 school year, more than 1500 students were trained to continue in the ministry style of Jesus: to enjoy the presence of God, say what He is saying, and do what He is doing,” according to its website. 

Top Ten Majors

60% of all international students in the US are studying business management, marketing and related subjects (28%), engineering (19%) and basic skills and developmental/remedial education (13%). 

Top Ten Majors (9-12)

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Vietnam Among Top Emerging Markets for International Student Recruitment

15/11/2012

This article, written by Rahul Choudaha, director of research and advisory services at World Education Services (WES) in New York, identified four emerging international student recruitment markets, including Vietnam.  It’s based on a WES research report  (PDF), entitled Beyond More of the Same: The Top Four Emerging Markets for International Student Recruitment,  that “aims to address the information needs of higher education institutions by systematically identifying key emerging markets and offering near-term strategies to successfully nurture them.”

Dr. Choudaha notes that

International student recruitment has become increasingly competitive as institutional budgets continue to shrink. More than ever, higher education institutions are expected to recruit quality students in a short period of time.
 
Most institutions rely on traditional source countries to achieve this goal, as penetrating an existing market for enrolment growth is a less costly route in terms of effort, expenditure and time.
 
As a result, students from China, India and South Korea are overrepresented on campuses. On some, Chinese students make up over half of the non-domestic student population. This is the case at the University of Iowa, where Chinese students comprised more than 70% of international undergraduates in 2011.
 
There is increasing pressure on institutions to attract international students from a broader range of countries, as they look to diversify their student bodies.

The research was based on a two-round Delphi survey – a mixed method forecasting technique based on the anonymity and expertise of participants.

The report  identifies four emerging markets for international student recruitment, including Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Vietnam:

High recruitment potential is attributable to Vietnam’s growing middle-class and strong study abroad interest. Vietnamese students are the third largest body of international students at American community colleges. Institutions of higher education that identify and reach Vietnamese students with the financial means to study in the US should enjoy a good deal of recruiting success in the coming years.

The Value of Education by the Numbers

If you glance at the top ten sending countries and rank them by students and GDP (PPP), Vietnam jumps off the page.  It ranks 8th among sending countries, according to Open Doors 2012 and the latest SEVIS quarterly updates, but 43rd in GDP.  The closest country, Saudi Arabia, 4th among places of origin, ranks 24th.  All of the other countries are in the top 20 in GDP.  This tells you – with a gigantic exclamation point – that Vietnamese parents are spending enormous sums of money on overseas study in proportion to per capita income.  In a phrase, education is important and parents are putting their money where their priorities and values are.   

To read the article and/or report follow these links:

A diverse student body means a stronger university  (University World News, October 2012, Issue No: 246)

WES Research Report

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More Studying Overseas; US Continues to Lose International Student Market Share

18/10/2012

According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s annual Education at a Glance report,there were 4.12 million students enrolled in a higher education program outside of their country of citizenship in 2010.  (The information was collected from 34 OECD member countries, in addition to other non-member G-20 countries: Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Russia, Saudi Arabia and South Africa.)  International students comprised 2.3% of all tertiary students vs. 2.1% in 2000.

Below are some more relevant statistics:

  • A total of 177 million students were attending a postsecondary institution in their home countries or abroad, an increase of 7% over 2009.
  •  In 1975, when the first Education at a Glance report was published, there were only 800,000 students studying overseas.
  •  52.5% were from an Asian country, with China (17%), India (5.9%) and Korea (3.7%) the three largest sources of internationally mobile students.

Contributing Factors to the Continued Growth of International Academic Mobility

As the report notes, “A significant portion of students coming from G20 non-OECD countries includes the better-performing students, natural candidates for public or private support, or students who have a relatively high socio-economic background. This implies that student mobility cannot only bring stature to tertiary institutions’ academic programs, but also economic benefits to the host country’s education systems.

“In the current economic context, shrinking support for scholarships and grants to support student mobility – as well as tightening budgets among individuals – may diminish the pace of student mobility. On the other hand, limited labor market opportunities in students’ countries of origin may lower the opportunity costs of studying abroad, and help increase student mobility.”

As a September 2012 World Education Services (WES) article entitled International Academic Mobility Continues to Grow Despite Economic Downturn, points out, “countries and institutions are hungry for the influx of capital and innovation that skilled students bring, and as such are doing everything they can to attract them. Seizing upon the currently unchecked demand for cross-border education, countries and institutions are implementing specific and coordinated efforts to promote themselves to international students. National immigration policies are also playing a role. While some national policy choices have, or are, restricting student flow to certain countries, the emergent trend appears to be towards incentivizing foreign students, whether through easier visa procedures, more generous access to the labor market, or post-graduation residency options.”  The US is also moving in this direction under President Obama, albeit at a glacial pace.

Top Receiving Countries

Developed countries hosted 83% of all international students (77% in an OECD country).  The U.S. remains the leading host but continues to lose market share, which has decreased from 23% in 2000 to 16.6% in 2009.  The UK is number two with 13% of total international enrollment, followed by Australia at 6.6%, Germany at 6.4% and France at 6.3%.

Vietnam

According to the Vietnam Ministry of Education and Training (MoET), there were over 100,000 young Vietnamese studying at institutions in 49 countries and territories in 2011, 90% of whom were self-financing.  The top five receiving countries were…

  • Australia (25,000)
  • United States (14,888)
  • China (12,500)
  • Singapore (7,000)
  • UK (6,000)

Rounding out the top ten are France (5,540), Russia (5,000), Germany (3,870), Japan (3,500)/Canada (3,500) and South Korea (3,000).

With a domestic college and university enrollment of 1.9 million, this means that 5% of all Vietnamese students enrolled in a postsecondary institution are studying overseas.  With an 8th place ranking among all sending countries, Vietnam remains a bright spot for US higher education in terms of both quantity and quality of students.

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“ADB Study Highlights Dark Side of ‘Shadow Education’”

08/07/2012

It sounds ominous and is certainly an issue worth delving into but there are much “darker sides” related to corruption in education in Vietnam and other countries.  Put colloquially, there are much bigger fish to fry than private tutoring.  Let’s take a look at the main conclusion and key points of this Asian Development Bank report.  My responses are in italics. 

“Shadow education” is less about remedial help for students and much more about competition and creation of differentials

It may:

  • dominate the lives of young people and their families: There is a cause-and-effect relationship here.  In Vietnam and other Asian countries the educational systems are exam-driven.  Those who teach privately are simply responding to demand on the part of students and their parents. 
  • maintain and exacerbate social inequalities: Yes, because these services are based on the ability to pay.  They are a negligible part of larger picture of factors that “maintain and exacerbate social inequalities.” 
  • divert needed household income into an unregulated industry:  For most families this is yet another example of disposable income.  The industry may be unregulated but the consumers (parents/students) are well-aware aware of who the best teachers/tutors are.  They, in turn, command higher fees, which provide an important supplement to their meager public school salaries.   
  • and create inefficiencies in education systems.  Private tutoring serves two main purposes:  1) to supplement what students are learning in school; and, yes, 2) to give them a them a competitive edge on exams. 

One additional point:

Demand for private tutoring is partly driven by negative perceptions of traditional schooling and the belief that extra lessons are essential for academic success.   True!  The negative perceptions are based on reality. 

Like many things in life, there is something to be said for moderation in the use of private tutors.   There is a tendency among many parents in Vietnam to over-program their children in the hopes that they will have better opportunities, educational and otherwise.  The end result is that many are overscheduled and stressed out.

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Vietnamese Students’ Love Affair with Business/Management

18/06/2012

According to this information from the 2010/11 Open Doors international academic mobility report, 41.3% of all Vietnamese studying the US last year chose to study business/management, by far the highest percentage of any of the top sending countries.  Engineering  and math/computer science ranked 2nd and 3rd at 10.7% and 8.5%, respectively. 

Why do so many Vietnamese choose to major in business/management?  Because 1) their parents tell them to, thinking it’s the best way to get a good job; and 2) many Vietnamese who are unfamiliar with the concept of a liberals arts education believe that you have to study business to “do business.”   (If any other reasons come to mind, please send them my way.) 

The end result is two-fold:  1) too many young Vietnamese are studying something they’re not really interested in and have no passion for; and 2) a likely surplus of business/management graduates.  Vietnamese society and its labor market have many and varied needs, both current and projected, of which business/management is but one.   Personally, I always find it refreshing when a young person here tells me s/he wants to study something other than business. 

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Third Time’s The Charm

15/05/2012

Photo courtesy of Tuoi Tre News.

This is the third in a trilogy of posts on Vietnam’s ranking in different categories, including adjusted refusal rates for B (tourist/business) visas, Vietnam-US immigration trends and patterns and, last but not least, overseas remittances.  Why overseas remittances?  Because they relate (directly) to emigration and (indirectly) to education. 

An Overview

According to an April 2012 World Bank update entitled Remittance flows in 2011 – an update (PDF download), officially recorded remittance flows to developing countries are estimated to have reached $372 billion in 2011, an increase of 12.1 percent over 2010.  They are expected to grow at 7-8% annually to reach $467 billion by 2014. 

 Emigration & Remittances

As with any country, emigration is a mixed bag in terms of gains and losses. On the plus side, overseas Vietnamese return to Vietnam as tourists (a total of 6 million international visitors in 2011) and businesspeople, and contribute in various ways, including through investment and remittances.

In 2011, remittances reached $9 billion, which surpassed the previous year’s record by $1 billion. (This is 2.4% of total remittance flows to developing countries.)  Vietnam ranks 9th among all developing countries and 2ndin Southeast Asia – after the Philippines. 

The volume of overseas remittances to Vietnam comprised just 4.2% of the total gross domestic product (GDP) in 1999, but reached 7.8% in 2002, 7.7% in 2010 and 7.5% in 2011.  (Remittances to Vietnam in 1991 were $135 million.)  Most of the money sent back to Vietnam is used for investment in real estate; the rest is for bank deposits and the purchase of durable goods.  Presumably, a large chunk is also invested in education.

Source: World Bank

More than 4 million Vietnamese people are now living in 103 countries around the world, 80% of them in developed countries such as the United States or in Europe, according to a recent International Organization for Migration (IOM) update.  More than 500,000 Vietnamese are currently working in more than 40 countries and territories in occupations ranging from low to highly skilled, with more than 80,000 Vietnamese leaving each year to work abroad, according to the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA).

MAA

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Emerging internationalization opportunities in Southeast Asia

17/04/2012

Below is an excellent post by my colleague, Rahul Choudaha aka Dr. Education, which I’ve taken the liberty of reposting in its entirety.  Both images are courtesy of Boston Consulting Group.  (The italics and bold are mine.)  Note:  The 2010 “per capita income” for Vietnam is based on GNP not GDP. 

Posted: 13 Apr 2012 08:14 AM PDT

Growth of Southeast Asian economies present significant opportunities of engagement for international recruitment, collaborations and study abroad programs.
 
A recent report by Boston Consulting Group notes that six Southeast Asian countries (Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam) will see nearly 100 million people entering the consumer class (annual income more than $5,000) by 2015 with consumer spending expanding by 12 percent annually.  These six nations have enjoyed annual growth rates of 6 to 9 percent, although, on purchasing-power parity basis, per capita GDP in 2010 ranged from $3,150 in Vietnam to $45,170 in Singapore.  This expanding consumer class will demand quality higher education and aspire for global experiences.
 
The establishment of ASEAN Economic Community in 2015 aims to transform the region into a common market with free flows of goods, services, investment and workers.  Despite its several challenges, ASEAN is expected to see greater mobility of qualified services professionals in the region.  The mutual recognition arrangements (MRAs) have been signed for seven professions–medical, dental, nursing, accountancy, engineering, architectural and surveying.  While AEC would keep talent mobility within the region, it presents significant opportunity for foreign institutions to offer collaborative programs in these professions.

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International Student Mobility Research Report

24/03/2012

“…the road ahead for most U.S. institutions of higher education will not be smooth as many institutions grapple with challenges in meeting recruitment goals with limited time and tight budgets.”

This report, recently released by World Education Services, provides some useful information about enrollment trends among international students.  One of the key points is that While China and India are still too big to ignore, there are other emerging countries worth paying attention to, including Saudi Arabia, Vietnam (my bold), Mexico, and Brazil. Recruitment to these countries should also be cultivated not only for campus diversity purposes, but also as a de-risking strategy.

 The report also notes that…

Enrollment growth at the Bachelor’s level is set to outstrip growth at the Master’s and Doctoral levels. Since international students studying at the Bachelor’s level are typically funded by their families, as opposed to financial aid, and provide a longer stream of revenue (four years) versus Master’s programs (two years), some public institutions are viewing this trend as a solution to current fiscal challenges.

Growth in international student enrollment is not restricted to large states like California and New York; non-traditional destinations, including Montana, Oregon and Colorado, are also witnessing significant growth due to more aggressive institutional outreach efforts and state policy reforms that allow for the enrollment of more international students in public institutions.

Undergraduate enrollment among US-bound Vietnamese students increased from about two-thirds to three-quarters in the 2010/11 academic year.  60% of those were enrolled at a community college, the first step in the 2+2 equation (i.e., transfer to a four-year school to complete the bachelor’s degree). 

While California, Texas and Washington play host to over half of all Vietnamese students, there are also significant numbers headed to other non-traditional destinations such as West Virginia.  In an increasingly competitive market and growing but still limited numbers of students, “aggressive institutional outreach efforts” and a long-term strategy are essential to creating pipelines of Vietnamese students to more schools. 

You can download the entire report here.

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“Younger Generations Drive Latin American and Asian Online Markets”

03/01/2012

Check out this “data gem” from comScore’s Data Mine (22.11.11). 

Many of the world’s fastest growing online markets are in Latin America and Asia where younger generations are driving digital adoption. A look at which global markets are driven by young Internet populations showed Venezuela having the highest percentage of its total online population age 15 to 24 at close to half (44.5%). Indonesia followed with 15-24 year olds accounting for 41.8% of its online population, followed closely by Vietnam (40.7%) and Colombia (40.2%).

comScore describes itself as ”a global leader in measuring the digital world and the preferred source of digital marketing intelligence. Through a powerful combination of behavioral and survey insights, comScore enables clients to better understand, leverage and profit from the rapidly evolving worldwide web and mobile arena.”

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Vietnam Ranks 61st in Prosperity Index

30/01/2011

According to the Legatum Institute, an independent, non-partisan organization that researches and advocates for an expansive understanding of global prosperity, Vietnam ranks 61st in its annual prosperity index.  The 110 Prosperity Index countries represent approximately 93% of the world’s population and 97% of global GDP. Interestingly (and ironically), Vietnam ranks higher than Russia (63) and Ukraine (69).

Each profile begins with a list of Fast Facts, including Average Life Satisfaction, Literacy Rate, Population, Life Expectancy, GDP per capita (PPP), Business Start-up Costs (% of Gross National Income), GDP (PPP), percentage of people who believe that the society is meritocratic, Political System, Personal Safety,etc.   It also includes Sub-Index rankings and index comparisons.

It then presents survey-based information about the following categories.  (Click on the linked category for more information.)

Economy  – Ranked 62nd: Vietnam has a high rate of inflation, yet enjoys high employment and citizens are optimistic

Entrepreneurship & Opportunity – Ranked 77th: Vietnam’s citizens are optimistic about entrepreneurial opportunities, but pessimistic on the rewards for hard work

Governance – Ranked 62nd: Vietnam is not a democratic state, and political rights are seriously constrained

Education – Ranked 81st: Despite low levels of enrolment Vietnamese report they are satisfied with the educational system

Health – Ranked 74th: Vietnam falls below global averages on most objective and subjective health-related variables

Safety & Security – Ranked 46th: Vietnam has mixed variables for state security, but a good record on personal safety

Personal Freedom – Ranked 66th: A high proportion of Vietnamese citizens are satisfied with their autonomy

Social Capital - Ranked 68th:  Levels of trust are high in Vietnam, although charitable activities are not popular

Education – Ranked 81st: Despite low levels of enrolment Vietnamese report they are satisfied with the educational system.

Educational enrolment is generally poor, with Vietnam placing 61st, 79th, and 84th, respectively, for net primary, gross secondary, and gross tertiary enrolment. With a ratio of 97 girls per 100 boys in primary and secondary schools, Vietnam has a slight under representation of girls in primary and secondary education. Class sizes are also worse than average, with 20 primary school pupils per teacher. Surprisingly, Vietnam places sixth, globally, for the very high 88%* of people who are satisfied with the quality of education. Paradoxically, a lower 81%* believe that children have the opportunity to learn and grow every day, which places the country only 43rd on this variable. Thus far, education has made a limited contribution to the realised value of human capital, with the average worker having undergone just over a 1.5 years of secondary education, and around five months of higher education, placing Vietnam 72nd and 84th on these variables, respectively.

I beg to differ with the conclusion – based on Gallup Poll data (see graph above) - that most Vietnamese “are satisfied with the educational system.” Regarding the economy – as mentioned in a previous post, Vietnam and Indonesia share the world’s second highest ranking (behind India) in consumer confidence, according to a 2010 Nielsen survey.

The Legatum Institute is a division of Legatum, a global investment organization with a 20-year history, allocating proprietary capital in the global markets and to programs that promote sustainable human development. 

As described on its website, the Institute’s values are:

  • Intellectual Liberty & Creativity
  • Intellectual Integrity
  • Humility and Respect
  • legance and Tone
  • Servant Leadership
  • An Example of Excellence
  • Timeliness and Relevance

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