PR-2057
November 17, 2020
2020 OPEN DOORS REPORT
Taiwan Students in the United States Increase for Fifth Consecutive Year
Number of U.S. Students in Taiwan Also Grows
According to the 2020 Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange data released yesterday by the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and the Institute of International Education, the total number of Taiwan students enrolled at U.S. colleges and universities increased for the fifth year in a row in the 2019-2020 academic year. Taiwan was the seventh largest source of international students in the United States for a sixth consecutive year. According to the 2020 Open Doors Report, there were 23,724 Taiwan students enrolled at U.S. institutions, an increase of 1.5 percent over the prior year.
During the 2019-2020 academic year, the largest portion of Taiwan students in the United States (39.3 percent) were enrolled in graduate study, a 0.4% decrease from the prior year. Over 31 percent of all Taiwan students in the United States were undergraduates, an increase of 1.7% over the prior year; 23.2 percent of Taiwan students participated in Optional Practical Training (OPT) programs (an increase of 7.9 percent). Taiwan student numbers increased at undergraduate and OPT levels but graduate and non-degree programs. 6.4 percent of all Taiwan students enrolled in non-degree programs, a decrease of 8.3 percent from the previous year.
International education is a two-way exchange. During the 2018-2019 academic year, the number of U.S. students enrolled for academic credit at colleges or universities in Taiwan surpassed the 1,000 mark second time in history, reaching 1,270, an increase of 48.2 percent over the previous year.
This year, the total number of international students in the United States sees a little decrease to 1,075,496 – a decrease of 1.8 percent from the previous year. However, the United States remains the top global destination, hosting 20% of the total 5.6 million international students.
The top places of origin for international students studying in the United States were China, India, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Canada, Vietnam, Taiwan, Japan, Brazil, and Mexico. The top host states were California, New York, Texas, Massachusetts, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Florida, Ohio, Michigan, and Indiana. For more data, infographics, and resources, details please visit https://opendoorsdata.org/
The Open Doors Report, compiled annually by the Institute of International Education, is a comprehensive information resource on international students at higher education institutions in the United States, and U.S. students studying abroad for academic credit at colleges or universities.
The release of the 2020 Open Doors Report is a part of International Education Week (IEW), a joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education to promote international educational exchange from November 16th to 20th, 2020.
For information about AIT’s IEW activities, please see https://www.ait.org.tw/ait-celebrates-2020-international-education-week/