Foreign Students View U.S. Education as Superior

A six-week survey by StudyAbroad.com reveals international students place a high value on U.S. college and university degrees, and show continued interest in pursuing a degree from an American university.

Chester, Pa. (EMWNews) July 16, 2008 — A large majority of foreign students (85%) place a high value on pursuing studies in the United States despite increasing difficulty in obtaining visas to work here after graduation. In addition, international students associate a high level of quality with U.S. degree programs, according to a six-week Web survey conducted by StudyAbroad.com, the Internet’s leading online study abroad directory.

Part of the Prospecting Services Division of EducationDynamics, StudyAbroad.com surveyed more than 1,000 students outside of the United States who showed no flagging of interest in pursuing a degree from an American university, with an eye on establishing a career in the States after graduation.

“Higher education institutions in the United States shouldn’t cut back on recruiting students from other countries, despite recent reports of decreases in foreign enrollment,” says Josh Irons, product manager and producer for StudyAbroad.com. “This survey shows there’s still a large pool of potential overseas students who see the value in what American schools offer.”

Students surveyed were just as interested in earning graduate degrees in the United States (32%) as they were in pursuing undergraduate degrees (42%). More than one-quarter of respondents expressed interest to study abroad in the United States for periods ranging from a summer to a semester to a full year.

Some respondents cited safety and security concerns and high tuition costs at universities as potential stumbling blocks to studying here, and a few others mentioned Australia, England and India as viable competitors when it comes to attracting foreign students.

But the vast majority of students polled want to study abroad in America, and they offered a host of reasons, from the fact that most view the United States as offering the best possible education, to the positive perception American degrees have throughout the world when it comes to finding a job.

One student surveyed summed up his reasons this way:

“According to Socrates, I know that I know nothing. But I know something and I want to learn everything. People who have studied in [the USA are more experienced and good in their knowledge. Therefore, I would like to study in [the U.S. in order to learn more and to be more experienced in my future profession [as an engineer.”

About StudyAbroad.com

StudyAbroad.com, part of the Prospecting Services Division of EducationDynamics, is the Internet’s leading source of information on educational opportunities for students to study in other countries. It is a comprehensive directory of study abroad and intensive language programs organized by subject and destination. StudyAbroad.com also offers Destination Portal Pages, a handbook serving as a guide to traveling abroad, and financial aid information. To learn more, visit http://www.StudyAbroad.com.

About EducationDynamics

EducationDynamics, a portfolio company of Halyard Capital, is the leading marketing and information services company dedicated to helping higher education institutions find, enroll and retain students. Its content-rich and highly visible education websites, including EarnMyDegree.com, elearners.com, GradSchools.com, StudyAbroad.com, and its more than 50 special interest microsites, make EducationDynamics the premier provider of qualified prospective students for colleges and universities. In addition, the company offers a full suite of web-delivered services proven to drive enrollment growth and reduce student attrition. For more information, visit http://www.educationdynamics.com.