The number of Nigerians studying in American tertiary institutions keeps increasing every year. This is according to the United States Consul General in Lagos, John Bray.
Mr Bray made this disclosure on Tuesday in Lagos at the Pre-Departure Orientation Programme organised for newly admitted students from Nigeria heading to the US to study later in the year.
According to him, Nigerians constitute the largest number of African people studying in the US and the 14th in the World.
Out of the over one million international students enrolled in American universities, 35,364 of them are from African nations. Of these, 11,710 of them are Nigerians.
A breakdown of the current Nigeria students shows that 49.5% are undergraduate; 36.2% are graduate students, 2% are non-degree candidates, and the remaining 12.3% are on Optional Practical Training.
He said that shows a 9.7% increase in the previous recorded in the preceding year.
In his words, “The number of Nigerians studying in the United States has been going up for the past seven years.
“One major reason for the increase of Nigerian students in the U.S. is the value that Nigerians place on a quality education. I am pleased to say that accredited U.S. colleges and universities provide a quality education.”
EduCeleb.com reports that the programme was organised by Education USA, an American government-owned international student advising centre in more than 175 countries. Through the Education USA, American higher education is promoted to students around the world by offering accurate, comprehensive, and current information about opportunities to study at one of the over 4,700 accredited postsecondary institutions in the country.
The American envoy used the medium to invite more Nigerians to study in American universities.
“Whether you are interested in a large school or small school, a school in a rural or urban setting, or you want to study in a hot or cold climate, the United States has a school for you.”
Participants witnessed tips on safety, security, immigration, and generally coping with students’ life in America as facilitated by various officials from the State Department.
[…] The country made the list of top 25 countries in the world with the highest number of international students studying in the US from which it ranked 13th as against 14th in the previous ranking. […]