According to the Open Doors 2014 report, released today, Vietnam ranks 8th among all sending countries.  There are now 16,579 young Vietnamese studying in the US, a modest 3% increase over the previous year (16,098).  (Keep in mind that Open Doors data are from the fall semester of the previous academic year while the SEVIS by the Numbers quarterly updates reflect real-time data at all levels.)

Overall, there were 886,052 international students in the US in 2013/14, including 105,997 in Optional Practical Training (OPT). That’s an 8.1% increase over 2012/13.  International students comprise 4.2% of the total US higher education enrollment of 21,216,000.

Vietnam was one of seven (7) top 10 countries to post an increase last year.  South Korea (3rd), Taiwan (6th), and Japan (7th) each saw the number of their US-bound students decline.  My guess is that Vietnam will surpass Japan and Taiwan within a few years.

Not surprisingly, the number of Chinese students increased by 16.5%; they now comprise 31% of all international students in the US. (That’s 1 in 3, rounded up!)  This makes it all the more difficult for US colleges and universities to diversify their international student populations.  I applaud those that have made the strategic decision to pick less of the low-hanging fruit and to step up their recruitment efforts in other countries, including Vietnam.

The Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange is published by the Institute of International Education, which has conducted an annual statistical survey of campuses regarding the international students in the United States since 1919, and with support from the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs since the early 1970s. The census is based on a survey of approximately 3,000 accredited U.S. institutions.

2012/13 – 2013/14

TOP 25 PLACES OF ORIGIN OF INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS, 2012/13 – 2013/14
Rank	Place of Origin	2012/13	2013/14	2013/14 % of Total	Change
	WORLD TOTAL	819,644	886,052	100.0	8.1
1	China	235,597	274,439	31.0	16.5
2	India	96,754	102,673	11.6	6.1
3	South Korea	70,627	68,047	7.7	-3.7
4	Saudi Arabia	44,566	53,919	6.1	21.0
5	Canada	27,357	28,304	3.2	3.5
6	Taiwan	21,867	21,266	2.4	-2.7
7	Japan	19,568	19,334	2.2	-1.2
8	Vietnam	16,098	16,579	1.9	3.0
9	Mexico	14,199	14,779	1.7	4.1
10	Brazil	10,868	13,286	1.5	22.2

Vietnam-Specific Highlights

• 71.1% undergraduate; 15.5% graduate; 5.3% other; 7.5% OPT (Optional Practical Training)
• 6th in undergraduate enrollment
• 3rd in community college enrollment
• 37% studying business/management, the highest percentage among the top 25 sending countries
• 15.8% increase in students participating in OPT
• 8% decrease in graduate students
• 4.4% increase in undergraduates
• 750% as many Vietnamese students in the US as in 2000
• It is estimated that Vietnamese students contributed $543 million to the US economy last year.

Be sure to check out my companion post about the SEVIS by the Numbers update from last month, which contains more exciting news about Vietnamese enrollment in the US.

MAA