American Students in Other Countries Increase over the Past Decade

The US government’s international exchange program for college students has shown evidence of success, as reported by the Institute of International Education (IIE) in 2007. From statistics on the number US students in overseas educational programs in 2006 – 2007, there were 223,000, which is a 150% growth as compared to the 90,000 figures in 199 – 1996. As part of the US government’s goal of increasing student awareness towards cultural diversity, more and more educational programs are being offered to American students to give them the opportunity to study abroad.

According to the report of the IIE, the regions of the world which American students go to study are in the Middle East, Asia, Africa, and South America. About a 30% increase in the number of US students coming to the Middle East and Asia were noted. In Africa, the numbers increased by 19%, while in Latin America, there was a 14% growth. Most of the students in the said countries have participated in short courses of about 8 weeks, while some of them stayed as long as one semester and even a full year. Majority of these American students take up majors in the following disciplines: the humanities, business administration, and the social sciences.

Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Karen Hughes says that as part of the government initiative to promote understanding for other nations, the United States sponsors several programs that offer opportunities for American students to study overseas. Among them are the National Security Language Initiative (NSLI), Fulbright Program, and the Gilman Scholarships.

The Fulbright Program has been in operation since 1948, and for almost 60 years, has provided international educational grants to over 100,000 American scholars. There are 144 countries in which the scholars of the Fulbright Program are allowed to study. This was founded by former US Senator J. William Fulbright.

The National Security Language Initiative was started by President George Bush and has been integrating foreign languages in kindergarten to college curricula. Launched in 2006, this program aims to provide the students with skills in the several languages, including Chinese, Persian, Arabic, Hindi, and Russian, among others. This helps not only to broaden international understanding, but to create a foundation for useful communication skills.

The Gilman Scholarships were named after former House International Relations Committee Chairman, Benjamin A. Gilman. These scholarships are granted to undergraduate college students from low-income families, to give them the chance to gain experiences from studying in other countries.