More international students are studying in the U.S. than ever before. In fact, the number is up over 7% from just the last academic year.
Among the universities hosting the most international students are two in North Texas: the University of North Texas and the University of Texas at Dallas.
Lee Satterfield, acting undersecretary for public diplomacy with the U.S. Department of State, spoke with Texas Standard about why the numbers are up so significantly and why it matters. Listen to the interview in the player above or read the transcript below.
This transcript has been edited lightly for clarity:
Texas Standard: One of the top-line benefits of international students the State Department highlights is economic. They brought in $50 billion in economic activity in 2023, according to the Department of Commerce. Where is that money going?
Lee Satterfield: Isn’t that wonderful? It’s going straight to American communities all over the United States.
In fact, just in Texas alone, it’s estimated $2.4 billion in economic impact in the state of Texas. And we think that’s a wonderful news story, not only because international students make a huge impact to American students in the classroom, but also in communities economically.
When you think about the most important impact, is it financial for you, or is it something else?
You know, I think it’s both. First and foremost, I think what international students bring to a classroom to diversify perspectives and to help Americans see, you know, an issue through another lens adds to the educational benefit that that American student is getting in the classroom.
And I think because the numbers are so high in Texas and these amazing universities and colleges in Texas are so welcoming and wonderful to international students, I think they’re flocking to your state to get a wonderful experience themselves.
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The number of international students studying in the U.S. has gone up pretty steadily with the primary exception of those pandemic years. Is there a goal the State Department is shooting for a raw number or overall percentage, or is it just continued growth?
It’s continued growth, really.
We want to remain the No. 1 destination for the best and brightest students around the world. We want to remain No. 1 and have known that students from all over the world can come and be welcomed in the United States and where there is a place for them, whether it’s a community college, a two-year setting, a public university or a private university. We like to say there’s a place for everyone.
This also goes the other way around with American students studying abroad. That number is still rebuilding since the pandemic drop. Why do you think that is?
Well, the numbers are a year behind. So the numbers in the actual report, it’s 2022-2023 for U.S. students studying abroad and it’s 2023-2024 for the international students.
So it might be confusing in that you look at that data and feel like the numbers for American students are slower to increase. But that’s not what we’re seeing. We’re seeing that that’s a year after what people are considering the end of the pandemic. So that’s actually significant growth.
And I don’t know if you know that Texas is ranked number three in the United States for sending students.
Interesting. So is this a priority you think crosses party lines? Do you expect support for international student programs to remain under the incoming Trump administration?
I do. The United States has been a leader in international education for decades, spanning presidential administrations with very strong bipartisan ties. And I think when you talk about it and when your listeners can better understand the economic impact to local communities and the benefit to American students in the classroom, I think we’ll continue to see growth.
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