Vietnamese students applying to US universities increase

The information is stated in the Spring Report of the Institute of International Education (IIE). Through a survey of 662 higher education institutions (college to doctoral), 53% recorded an increase in the number of applications for the 2024-2025 school year compared to before.

Of these, the number of applications from Vietnam increased by 38%, ranking 6th, after Ghana, Nepal, India, Nigeria and Bangladesh in the top 10 fastest growing countries. The report did not provide detailed figures.

In addition, 72% of the schools participating in the survey said they prioritize Vietnamese students at the undergraduate level. This number is 36% at the graduate level. IIE believes that Vietnam will be a key source of international students, along with India, China, Canada and South Korea.

Previously, in the IIE's 2030 Vision report, 92% of the 630 schools surveyed said they would increase international student enrollment in the next five years. 85% would maintain or increase financial aid levels to attract more international students.

IIE is a non-profit organization that operates in the field of educational exchange in the United States. IIE's Open Doors Report on international students is conducted annually, funded by the US Department of State.

Accordingly, in the 2022-2023 school year, the US will have more than one million international students from more than 200 countries and territories. The number of Vietnamese is 21,900, the fifth largest, contributing about 816 million USD to the US economy.

The majority of Vietnamese international students (47.6%) pursue degrees in STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) fields - 47.6%.