Vietnam ranks sixth among international students studying in US

Vietnam remains the sixth leading country of origin for all international higher education students in the US, with 21,631 students studying at American institutions in the academic year 2020-2021, the Vietnam Government Portal (VGP) reported.

A performance of Vietnamese students at a festival in the US (Photo: VNA)
A performance of Vietnamese students at a festival in the US (Photo: VNA)

Of the above figure, 70.6 percent were undergraduates, 15.6 percent were graduate level students, 12.1 percent enrolled in Optional Practical Training (OPT), and the remaining 1.6 percent was pursuing non-degree programmes, according to the Institute of International Education’s (IIE) annual “Open Doors” Report released on November 16.

Among community college enrollment, Vietnamese students continue to constitute the second largest group of foreign students, accounting for almost 11 percent of all international enrollments.

Vietnamese students continue to demonstrate a strong interest in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) and business/management studies. The percentages of Vietnamese students pursuing STEM and business/management majors are 46 percent and 26.9 percent respectively.

The US  remains the top destination for international students, welcoming over 914,000 international students from over 200 places of origin in the academic year 2020-2021.