U.S. and UK Universities Serve Up Education to Foreigners, Aided by Technology/Private Schools Grow Rapidly Outside the U.S.

The total number of university students who study outside their home countries reached 4.5 million in 2014 (the latest data available) according to the Institute of International Education (IEE). The number of foreign students studying at American colleges and universities rose from 586,323 in 2002-03 to 1.095 million in 2018-19, while the number of Americans studying abroad hit 341,751.

However, the Coronavirus pandemic drastically impacted the numbers of students studying abroad. According to a survey of more than 700 U.S. colleges conducted by 10 major higher education organizations, overall enrollment of foreign students fell by 16% in the fall of 2020 compared to the previous year. For new students, the number fell by 43%. These figures include foreign students on U.S. campuses and those studying online.

Students from China made up the largest group of foreign students in the U.S. (53%), followed by those from India. Saudi students especially are getting a leg up thanks to a multi-year overseas scholarship program named after Saudi King Abdullah. The program averages about $25,000 in scholarship money per student per year.

According to a recent count, more than 700,000 Chinese students were attending foreign universities in 2019. This is roughly six-times higher than the number of 10 years earlier.

U.S. and UK colleges and universities often welcome foreign students, since they typically pay full fees to attend. An estimated $44.7 billion was spent by foreign students in the U.S. in 2018, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. This is a great boost to the universities, as they can use the additional revenues to offset financial aid provided to other students. While universities have found an excellent boost to revenues by attracting and admitting foreign students, the level of such students will drop, at least temporarily, due to the Coronavirus.

Top British universities that have a history of attracting foreign students include Cambridge and Oxford. In fact, the London School of Economics’ student body was recently comprised of 50% foreign students on the undergraduate level and 80% postgraduate.

SPOTLIGHT: Avenues, The World School

A startup that is gaining substantial media coverage is Avenues, The World School (the operating name of Avenues World Holdings LLC), a private, for-profit educational institution for students from pre-K through 12th grade levels. The company began operations in September 2012 in the Chelsea neighborhood of New York City, and hopes to expand internationally with 15 to 20 locations (as of mid-2021, it had locations in New York, Sao Paulo and Shenzhen). Eventually, the company hopes to open in India, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, South Africa, Qatar, the UAE, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Australia, the UK, France, Russia, Spain, Italy and Germany, as well as additional locations in the U.S.

Operations are divided into four divisions: Early Learning Center (pre-school), Lower School (kindergarten through 4th grade), Middle School (5th grade through 8th) and Upper School (9th grade through 12th). Tuition is expensive, with financial assistance available. One of the school’s strategies is to encourage students to study at its campuses worldwide over several years, enabling the students to gain global cultural knowledge and to build global networks of friends.

Avenues launched Studio Campus Hamptons in 2021. The program combines web-based learning with in-person mentoring for small groups of mixed-age students. Studio Campus Hamptons is for grades 1-12, and the 2021-22 year was its first.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.

Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.

Become a Plunkett Research Online subscriber to gain unlimited access to our massive amount of vital industry data and market research.

✔ 100,000 Industry Statistics
✔ 500 Industries Analyzed for Market Size, Profits and Forecasts
✔ 150,000 Industry Executives Profiled
✔ 25,000 Companies Profiled, Ranked and Analyzed
✔ 1,000 Vital Trends Analyzed, totaling 1,000,000 words

Learn More

U.S. and UK Universities Serve Up Education to Foreigners, Aided by Technology/Private Schools Grow Rapidly Outside the U.S., Business and Industry Trends Analysis

A Representative List of Organizations that Have Used our Research and Products:

How to access Plunkett Research data.

What data challenge can we help you solve today?

Take a Tour

Contact

Testimonials