Ghana sends third-highest number of students from Africa to USA

There are currently 3,111 Ghanaian students enrolled at more than 630 tertiary institutions across the United States of America.

“Ghana is the third-largest sender of students from Africa, after only Nigeria (11,710 students) and Kenya (3,189 students)’’, a statement issued by the Public Affairs Section of the Embassy of the United States in Ghana said.

The statement said the latest Open Doors report on international education has revealed that the United States hosted 1.08 million international students during the 2016/2017 academic year.

The statement said this marks a three per cent increase over the prior year. The number of African students hit a record high, at 37,735, marking a 7 per cent increase over the previous year.

It said undergraduates make up 38 per cent of those at U.S. Universities and Colleges, Graduate students make up 45 per cent, out of which 42 per cent are enrolled in doctoral programmes, adding that, the remainders were in student status, whilst in optional practical training or are enrolled in non-degree programmes.

It said the five most popular U.S. States for Ghanaian students are Ohio, New York, Massachusetts, Michigan, and Texas.

The two most popular institutions are Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, which has 57 Ghanaian graduate students and four undergraduate students, and Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, which has 52 undergraduate students from Ghana alone.

Meanwhile, Ghana’s strong universities attract 20,000 students from other African countries.

“In addition, 1,564 American students engaged in a credit-bearing programme in Ghana in the 2015/2016 academic year, the most recent year for which numbers are available.

“This makes Ghana the second most popular African destination for American exchange students, after only South Africa.

Source: GNA