Out of Africa
Kenya and Nigeria remain the only African countries to rank in the top 20 places of origin for international students studying in the United States.
By Marisa Picker
Of the top 20 countries of origin for international students studying in the United States, only two — Kenya and Nigeria — are located in Africa. Kenya ranked 17th and Nigeria 18th in the latest figures released by the Institute of International Education.
India topped the list, followed by China, Korea, Japan and Canada.
According to IIE’s 2006 Open Doors report, there were 6,192 Nigerians studying in the United States in 2005-2006, a 2.3 percent drop from the 6,335 students here the previous year. The 2005-2006 academic year also saw a 2.5 percent drop in the number of Kenyans studying in America, sliding from 6,728 to 6,559. The number of Kenyan students has fallen almost 17 percent since the 2003-2004 academic year.
“Kenya’s numbers have decreased for three years in a row, but last year’s decline was much smaller than that of the previous two years, leading to hope that they will also soon turn their curve upwards,” says Nancy W. Keteku, IIE’s regional education coordinator for Africa.
A tighter and more inhospitable student visa application process in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks has been cited by some experts as one factor behind the general decline in the number of international students. Fraud and competition from other destination countries have also been offered as explanations, as has educational progress on the African continent.
