Pakistani Student Enrollment in US Universities Hits All Time High
Pakistani student enrollment in America's institutions of higher learning rose 16% last year, outpacing the record 12% growth in the number of international students hosted by the country. This puts Pakistan among eight sources in the top 20 countries with the largest increases in US enrollment. India saw the biggest increase at 35%, followed by Ghana 32%, Bangladesh and Nepal at 28% each, Pakistan 16%, Colombia 13%, Italy 10% and Spain 5%.
 |
| Top 8 Source Countries of Foreign Students in US. Source: IIE OpenDoors |
"During 2022-2023, there were 10,164 Pakistani students, compared to 8,772 in the previous year, indicating an impressive 16% increase," according to IIE Open Doors Report for 2022-23. There has been an overall 33% increase in enrollment of Pakistani students in US colleges and universities.
 |
| Major Destinations of Pakistanis Studying Abroad. Source: UNESCO |
The most recent UNESCO data (2021) counts 71,865 Pakistani students abroad in higher education. More recent statistics published by government sources in various receiving countries show that the outbound student mobility from Pakistan was over 103,190 in 2022. There have been large increases in Pakistani students recorded recently in the UK, Australia, US, Canada, and Germany. The UK is now the top destination with over 23,000 Pakistani students, followed by Australia with nearly 16,000 students from Pakistan in 2021/22, according to the ICEF Monitor.
The most recent UNESCO data (2021) puts the total number of Indians studying abroad at 508,174.
 |
| Pakistani Students in America. Source: IIE OpenDoors |
Pakistan is ranked as the 16th biggest source of foreign students in America. China remains the top-sending country in 2022/23, with 289,526 students studying in the U.S. (-0.2% year-over-year). India, the second largest sending country, reached an all-time high of 268,923 international students in 2022/23, an increase of 35% year-over-year, according to the report.
 |
| Top 20 Sending Countries of International Students in America. Source: Statista |
The United States is hosting over one million (1,057,188) international students in the 2022/2023 academic year, a 12% increase compared to the previous academic year. It is the fastest growth rate in more than 40 years. It is partly attributable to the end of the COVID19 pandemic which dramatically diminished international student mobility.
Related Links:
2021: A Banner Year For Tech Startups in Pakistan
Pakistan Projected to Be World's 6th Largest Economy By 2075
Pakistan Among Largest Sources of STEM Workers in America
Growing Share of Working Age Population in Pakistan
Pakistan Scientific Output is World's Fastest Growing
India's Chandrayaan 3 Success: Can Pakistanis Explore Space?
Digital Pakistan 2022
Pakistan's Large and Growing Civil Nuclear Program
Riaz Haq's Youtube Channel
Comments
https://gallup.com.pk/post/36260#:~:text=US%20from%20Pakistan-,US%20Visa%20issuance%202018%20to%202023%3A%20Non%2Dimmigrant%20visas%20showed,Visas%20to%20US%20from%20Pakistan
Has there been an increase in influx from Pakistan to US between 2018 to 2023?
Non-immigrant visas showed a steady increase from 40,679 in 2018 to 80,852 in 2023. Conversely, immigrant visas fluctuated, with 10,114 in 2018 experiencing a noticeable drop in 2020 with only 3,750 visas issues, most likely due to Covid-19, however, they rebounded by 2023 with 16,320 immigrant visas issued within the year. These numbers reflect the dynamic nature of travel and immigration patterns over the past few years.
KEY FINDINGS FROM THIS PRESS RELEASE:
There was a fluctuating trend of non-immigration US visas issued for Pakistanis in 2023, with peaks in October (9,565) and December (7,483), and low points in July (4,795) and April (5,723), highlighting potential seasonal patterns or shifts in travel behaviour.
Across categories: “Business & pleasure” lead with 85.11% of the visas issued, followed by “Student” making up 3.67% of the visas issued, while “Temporary Workers” only made up 1.33% of the total Non-Immigration US Visas issued in 2023.
Immigrant US visa issuance for Pakistanis fluctuated month-to-month, reflecting varying demand.
Across categories: “Special immigrants” lead with 46.65%, closely followed by “Immediate relatives of US citizens” at 32.22%, while “Employment based” visas only made up 1.41% of the Immigrant US Visas issued in 2023, indicating a lesser reliance in work-related sponsorship.
Non-immigrant visa issuance showed a steady increase from 40,679 in 2018 to 80,852 in 2023.
Immigrant visa issuances fluctuated, with 10,114 visas issued in 2018, experiencing a noticeable drop in 2020 with only 3,750 visas issues, most likely due to Covid-19, however, they rebounded by 2023 with 16,320 immigrant visas issued within the year. These numbers reflect the dynamic nature of travel and immigration patterns over the past few years.
Examining the Non-Immigrant Visa issuances in Pakistan, Islamabad Consulate led with 52.2%, while the Karachi Consulate followed with 47.8%.
https://wenr.wes.org/2020/02/education-in-pakistan
Pakistan is a significant exporter of international students globally. According to UNESCO statistics, the number of outbound Pakistani degree-seeking students grew by 70 percent over the last decade, from 31,156 in 2007 to 53,023 in 2017. While that number is dwarfed by the more than 330,000 degree-seeking students from neighboring India, consider that Pakistan’s outbound mobility ratio—the percentage of international students among all students—is almost three time as high (2.7 percent in 2017) as that of India (1 percent). This means that it’s far more common for Pakistani students to study abroad and broaden their academic horizons in another country than it is for Indian students.
Further increases in student outflows from Pakistan are expected in the years ahead. The British Council, for instance, expects Pakistan to be among the top 10 growth countries worldwide until 2027, despite an overall cooling of international student mobility on a global scale. For one, the precarious economic conditions and employment prospects in Pakistan are a major push factor for both international students and the hundreds of thousands of labor migrants leaving Pakistan each year. Studying abroad can open immigration pathways in countries like Australia or Canada, while a foreign degree gives those that return a competitive edge on the Pakistani labor market.
Another important driver is the lack of university seats and high-quality study programs in Pakistan, particularly at the graduate level. While Pakistan has created a tremendous amount of new doctoral programs over the past decade, growing numbers of Pakistani scholars are heading abroad to access higher quality education, primarily in fields like engineering and the sciences. To modernize research in Pakistan and raise the qualifications profile of university faculty, the government supports this development with scholarship programs of considerable scale, considering Pakistan’s fiscal constraints. While most Pakistani students are said to be self-funded, overseas scholarship programs have helped thousands of graduate students to pursue studies in the United States, the United Kingdom, Cuba, Germany, France, and various other countries in recent years. Scholarship recipients are often required to return home after graduation.
The traditional English-speaking international study destinations, Australia and the U.S., are currently the top choices among Pakistani degree-seeking students, as per UNESCO statistics. Datapublished by the Australian government show that the number of Pakistani students grew almost threefold over the past decade, from 3,512 in 2008 to 10,000 in 2019, making Pakistan one of the top 10 sending countries of tertiary students in Australia.
In the U.S., likewise, Pakistani enrollments have generally been on an upward trajectory over the past few years. According to the Open Doors data of the Institute of International Education, Pakistan sent 7,957 students to the U.S. in 2018/19, an increase of 5.6 percent over the previous year, making it the 22nd most important sending country. Around 44 percent of these students are enrolled in undergraduate programs, 35 percent in graduate programs, and 4 percent in non-degree programs, while 17 percent pursue Optional Practical Training.
Other popular destination countries include the U.K. and the Muslim-majority countries Malaysia and Saudi Arabia, the latter also being a magnet for labor migrants from Pakistan. It should be noted, however, that China has emerged as a significant destination as well. China may, in fact, now host the largest number of Pakistani international students worldwide. While UNESCO does not report data for China, and Chinese government figures are difficult to compare,1 Pakistan is currently the third-largest sending country to China with 28,000 students, per Chinese statistics.
https://thefridaytimes.com/24-Nov-2023/pakistani-student-enrollment-in-germany-soars-by-30-percent
The educational landscape in Germany sees a dynamic transformation as Pakistani student enrollment surges by an impressive 30 percent. Statistics from the academic years 2020–21 to 2022–23 revealed a growth from 6,403 to 8,208 Pakistani students.
The German higher education sector, boasting a total enrollment of 458,210 international students as of 2022-2023, stands witness to this remarkable influx. Among these students, the discipline of engineering emerges as a beacon, with 145,707 individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds immersing themselves in the technical realms of innovation and progress.
IIE Open Doors / All Places of Origin. 10,988 students from Pakistan in US 2023-24, up 8.1% from 2022-23
https://opendoorsdata.org/data/international-students/all-places-of-origin/
-----------------------
India becomes top source of International students in the U.S.
https://www.newindiaabroad.com/english/news/india-becomes-top-source-of-international-students-in-the-us
India has overtaken China as the leading origin for international students in the U.S. for the first time in nearly 15 years, according to the 2024 Open Doors Report. During the 2023-24 academic year, 331,602 Indian students enrolled in U.S. institutions, a 23 percent increase from the previous year. Meanwhile, Chinese enrollment fell by 4 percent to 277,398.
The report by the Institute of International Education (IIE), funded by the U.S. State Department, reveals that students from India and China together account for more than half of all international students in the United States. The surge in India's numbers was fueled by a strong interest in graduate programs and STEM fields, with 56 percent of international students focusing on the latter.
Overall, international student enrollment in the U.S. hit a record 1.1 million, up 7 percent from last year, representing 6 percent of the total U.S. higher education population and contributing more than $50 billion to the economy. Graduate students reached 502,291 (+8 percent), and Optional Practical Training (OPT) participants surged 22 percent to 242,782. Undergraduate enrollment remained steady at 342,875.
California, New York, and Texas hosted the most international students, while Midwestern states like Missouri saw significant growth. Additionally, U.S. study-abroad participation rose 49 percent to 280,716 in 2022-23, with Italy, the UK, Spain, and France as top destinations.
Canada (28,998) ranks 4th, Taiwan (23,157) ranks 5th, Vietnam (22,066) ranks 6th, Nigeria (20,029) ranks 7th, Bangladesh (17,099) ranks 8th, Brazil (16,877) ranks 9th, Nepal 16,742) ranks 10th, Mexico (15,474) ranks 11th, Saudi Arabia (14,828) ranks 12th, Japan (13,959) ranks 13th, Iran (12,430) ranks 14th and Pakistan (10,988) ranks 15th.
UK (10,473) ranks 16th, Colombia (10,120) ranks 17th, Ghana (9,394) ranks 18th, Germany (9,230) ranks 19th, Turkey (9,148) 20th, Spain (8,842) 21st, France (8,543) 22nd, Indonesia (8,348) 23rd, Italy (6,545) 24th and Hong Kong (5,6,27) 25th.
Other Places of Origin (175,624).
https://opendoorsdata.org/annual-release/international-students/
https://monitor.icef.com/2024/10/market-snapshot-international-student-recruitment-in-pakistan/
Recent data on which destinations are hosting the most Pakistani students include:
UK: 34,690 in 2022/23 (+50% y-o-y)
China: 28,000 before the pandemic
UAE: 24,865 in 2020 according to UNESCO
Australia: 23,380 in 2023 (+49%)
US: 10,165 in 2022/23 (+16%)
Germany: 8,210 in 2022/23 (+22%)
Kyrgyzstan: 6,000 in 2020 according to UNESCO
Malaysia: 5,000 in 2023
Canada: 4,750 in 2023 (+101%)
Turkey: 2,385 in 2020 according to UNESCO
Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Sweden, Qatar: At least 4,000 in 2020 according to UNESCO
(Total Pakistanis studying abroad is about 150,000)
A record 1.3 million Indian students pursued overseas education in 2024, drawn by better prospects and global exposure. While Canada, the US, and the UK remain …
Source: The Times of India
https://search.app/hYwNfe5zRwjr64jL7
Canada 427,000
US 337,630
UK 185,000
Australia 122,202
Germany 42,997
What the UK International Student 2022/23 data can tell us
https://monitor.icef.com/2024/08/uk-reports-record-foreign-enrolment-for-2022-23/
India (173,190 students) surpassed China (154,260) as the main sender of students to UK universities. China had been the #1 market since 2018/19. Indian students represented a quarter (26%) of all international students in the UK in 2022/23.
India (+37%), Nigeria (+39%), and Pakistan (50%) were by far the fastest-growing student source countries, year-over-year.
What the 2022/23 data can tell us
India (173,190 students) surpassed China (154,260) as the main sender of students to UK universities. China had been the #1 market since 2018/19. Indian students represented a quarter (26%) of all international students in the UK in 2022/23.
India (+37%), Nigeria (+39%), and Pakistan (50%) were by far the fastest-growing student source countries, year-over-year.
The top 10 non-EU sending markets were:
India (173,190, +37%)
China (154,260, +2%)
Nigeria (72,355, +39%)
Pakistan (34,690, +50%)
US (22,540, -2%)
Hong Kong (17,095, +3%)
Bangladesh (14,945, +18%)
Malaysia (13,005, +7%)
Saudi Arabia (9,045, +3%)
UAE (8,350, +3%)