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Number of Zimbabwean students in US plummeted by 37% in past years

by Staff reporter
15 Jul 2021 at 04:23hrs | Views
The number of students from Zimbabwe pursuing higher education in the United States decreased by 37 percent between the academic years 2002/03 and 2019/20, official statistics indicate.

From a total of 2,186 Zimbabwean students enrolled at universities across the US during the 2002/03 academic year, the number dropped significantly to 1,377 in 2019/20, the education search platform Erudera.com reports.

However, the US marked a 2.5 percent increase in the number of students from Zimbabwe in 2020, compared to a year earlier. Data shows that the number of Zimbabwean students in the US over the past few years was as follows:

-    1,295 students in 2015/16
-    1,330 students in 2016/17
-    1,324 students in 2017/18
-    1,343 students in 2018/19

"The increasing number of Zimbabwean students choosing the United States signals the strong bond between our two peoples. These students enrol in US universities and colleges to gain professional skills that will serve them well in Zimbabwe," the US Ambassador to Zimbabwe Brian A. Nichols said last year.

On the other hand, the United States welcomed only 127 students from Mozambique. Nonetheless, this was the highest number of Mozambican students in America since the mid-50s when only two students headed to the US to pursue higher studies.

Zimbabwe is ranked as the sixth leading country from sub-Saharan Africa, sending students to the US. In 2019/20, 52 percent of Zimbabweans were enrolled at the undergraduate level, 27 percent at the graduate level, while 19 percent at the optional practical training.

According to data, the US welcomed more than one million international students for the fifth year in a row during the 2019/20 academic year, with 52 percent of them studying majors in the STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics).

Hundreds of universities located in the US are listed among world's top universities, which is one of the main reasons why the United States is known as the most popular study abroad destination for international students.

Source - Byo24News