Open Doors Open Minds
By Allan E. Goodman

The United States continues to host more international students than any other country in the world. Open Doors 2010 reports that the total number of international students in U.S. higher education has increased by 3%, showing that America's diverse range of higher education institutions are highly valued in the international marketplace. Active engagement between U.S. and international students in American classrooms provides students with valuable skills that will enable them to collaborate across cultures and borders to address shared global challenges in the years ahead.

Study abroad and international exchanges are also critical for U.S. college-age students. It is very important that they enter the global economy with global competencies, and that means everything from language skills to cultural understanding and fluency. Immersing yourself in another community, living with a family in a different culture – not only are these experiences that are personally fulfilling and often last lifetimes, but they also impart valuable lessons about collaboration and problem-solving that students carry with them throughout their careers. U.S. students abroad also serve as ambassadors, building bridges with their hosts and sharing their own unique cultures. The sharing and learning work in both directions.

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Open Doors 2010: Report on International Educational Exchange provides a long-standing, comprehensive statistical analysis of academic mobility between the United States and the nations of the world.

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IIE's Open Doors Report Makes Headlines Worldwide

For the past few weeks, stories on students coming to the United States to study and American students studying abroad have made the print, broadcast and online news across the United States and around the world.

Coming on the heels of President Obama's high-profile visit to Asia, IIE's release of the annual Open Doors data on international educational exchange was particularly newsworthy this year. The 30% increase in students from China in U.S. higher education, American students going to more diverse destinations for study abroad, and other related stories were featured in the New York Times, India's Economic Times, the U.K. Guardian, the China Youth Daily, Abu Dhabi's The National, an AP story, and hundreds of other publications.

View highlights of press coverage.
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Launching International Education Week in Washington

Together with the Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, which funds the Open Doors research, IIE held a special briefing at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. on November 15 to kick off the celebration of International Education Week. We presented the Open Doors findings and held a lively discussion with more than 200 guests representing higher education, press, the U.S. government, foreign Embassies, private sector sponsors of education programs, and other interested parties.

To help provide insight on U.S.-China educational exchange, IIE president Allan Goodman joined Assistant Secretary of State Ann Stock for a roundtable discussion that she held with a group of Chinese TV, radio and print journalists, organized by the Foreign Press Center in Washington (pictured above).

View event photos and read A/S Ann Stock's remarks >

Telling the Story in India

In India, IIE took part in a panel discussion on U.S.-India educational exchange with the U.S. Embassy and the U.S.-India Education Foundation (USIEF), after leading a week-long visit with a delegation of U.S. university and government representatives to meet with Indian higher education institutions.

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An In-Depth Look at the Trends

The Chronicle of Higher Education did a special report on Open Doors, with in-depth graphic analysis of the statistics and trends, and what this means for higher education in the U.S. and around the world. Inside Higher Education also did a feature story on the trends, including an early indication of what campuses are reporting this fall.

See the Chronicle's special coverage >
See Inside Higher Ed feature >

International Students Bring Nearly $20 Billion to the U.S. Economy

Higher education is among the United States' top service sector exports, as international students provide revenue to the U.S. economy and individual host states for living expenses, including room and board, books and supplies, transportation, health insurance, and support for accompanying family members. The Department of Commerce estimates this as a nearly $20 billion export service.

Using Open Doors enrollment figures and other data on college expenses, NAFSA: Association of International Educators calculates detailed economic impact data by state.

View economic impact data >