More American college students than ever before choose to study abroad. Still, American students aren't nearly as global-minded as their peers from other countries.
Here are six figures from the the newly released annual Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange that break this down.
1. 283,000 - The record number of students the United States sent abroad last academic year, an increase of about 3 percent.
2. 820,000 - The approximate number of foreign students who studied in the United States last year. China alone sends nearly as many students to the United States as we send abroad at all. And those who come to study here often stay for a full academic year.
3. $24 billion - The amount of money, according to the U.S. Commerce Department, that foreign students have injected into the U.S. economy. They also give to the country in less quantifiable ways by providing new and global perspectives at campuses across the United States.
4. 15,000 - The approximate number of students we send to China, the world's fastest-growing economy, each year. U.S. students pursue the study abroad experience a little differently than their global peers. The United Kingdom is by far the most popular destination, followed by Italy, Spain and France. Not exactly up-and-coming economic or political powerhouses. And the Middle East, where the United States remains deeply embroiled? We send a mere handful to study there.
