The number of students from Taiwan attending U.S. tertiary education institutions during the 2016-2017 academic year increased 1.8 percent to 21,516 from the same time 12 months before, cementing the country’s ranking as the seventh largest source of international enrollments in America.
According to the latest Open Doors report released Nov. 13 by New York-headquartered Institute for Educational Exchange, this is the second consecutive annual increase in Taiwan enrollments at U.S. colleges and universities. It is also the third year for the country to claim its current ranking on the list of overseas student sources.
Other sources comprising the list’s top 10 are mainland China in first followed by India, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Canada, Vietnam, Japan, Mexico and Brazil. A record 1.08 million international students are enrolled at U.S. tertiary institutions, up 3.4 percent from the year before.
The report found that 41.6 percent of Taiwan students were taking graduate courses, with 30 percent pursuing undergraduate degrees. A total 19.6 percent and 8.4 percent plumped for Optional Practical Training programs and nondegree courses, respectively. Significant year-on-year increases were recorded in nondegree courses, 13 percent; OPT, 5 percent; and undergraduate degrees, 3 percent.
On the Taiwan front, the report revealed that the number of Americans studying for academic credit at local colleges or universities rose more than 11 percent to 980 for the 2016-2017 academic year.
The annual report is considered a leading source of information on international students at tertiary education institutions in the U.S. It is produced with the support of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. (JSM)
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