Indonesians studying in the United States is now at a 13-year high with almost 9,000 students currently in the country, according to a US State Department report.
The annual report Open Doors examines trends in international academic mobility in the United States. It shows that Indonesia currently stands at 19 amongst countries with the most students at universities and at 12 amongst countries with the most students at community colleges there.
According to the data in the report, which was compiled in collaboration with the nonprofit Institute of International Education, as many as 8,776 Indonesians are currently studying in the United States. The figure, the report estimates, is a nearly 27 percent increase from the number of Indonesians studying in the United States in 2010.
More than half of the Indonesian students currently studying in the US are undergraduate students who make up 61.6 percent of all Indonesian students. As many as 20 percent are pursuing graduate studies, 13.5 percent are receiving optional practical training, while 4.9 percent are enrolled in non-degree programs, such as English language or short-term studies.
The report was released during the opening of International Education Week in Jakarta. The event is part of an initiative to attract more international students to enroll at universities in the United States.
“International students have a major positive impact on US communities, universities and colleges by enhancing classrooms and campuses with an exchange of ideas, improved understanding of different cultures and by contributing more than $39.4 billion to the US economy,” declared an official at the United States Embassy in Jakarta, as quoted by The Jakarta Globe.
For another story on Indonesian students abroad see
Different Realities Face Indonesians at Home and Abroad