Over 8,800 Bangladeshi students studied in the United States in the 2019/2020 academic year, making Bangladesh the 17th country worldwide sending students to the United States for higher education.

In celebration of International Education Week (IEW), November 16-20, 2020, a joint U.S. Department of State and U.S. Department of Education initiative, U.S. Embassy Dhaka was announced the trends.

“ This is a new all-time high for Bangladesh, reflecting a 7.1% increase over the 2019 report (8,249 students), more than tripling since 2009.” An US Embassy statement said.

Bangladesh is among the fastest growing countries of origin for international students in the United States.  It now ranks 17th in the world, up from 20the place last year, of countries sending students to the United States for higher education.  Bangladesh had the highest percentage growth among the top 20 countries, and the highest increase in the South Asian region.

Promoting educational exchanges between Bangladesh and the United States is a strategic priority for U.S. Embassy Dhaka, it added.

“International education exchanges benefit both the nations and peoples, boosting intellectual and cross-cultural capital as well as business and professional networks, and helping prepare students to enter the global job markets and solve the world’s toughest challenges.”

Out of the 8,838 Bangladeshi students studying in the United States in 2019/2020, 5,787 studied at the graduate level; a 9.6% increase over 2018/2019 academic year, moving Bangladesh from 9th to 8th place in the world for graduate students studying in the United States.

More than 75% of Bangladeshi students currently on U.S. campuses study in STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics).  Of them, over 41 percent study Engineering, over 19 percent – Math/Computer Science, and over 15 percent – Physical or Life Sciences.  Nearly seven percent study Business/Management and nearly six percent study Social Sciences.  Nearly 1,300 Bangladeshi students (14% of all Bangladeshi students) during the 2019/2020 academic year participated in the Optional Practical Training (OPT) – on-the-job training in one’s field of study – as part of their studies in the United States.

The 2020 Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange released today by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and the non-profit Institute of International Education (IIE), reveals the United States remained the top destination for international students.

For the fifth consecutive year, the United States hosted more than one million international students (1,075,496) during the 2019/2020 academic year.  Despite a slight decline (1.8%) in the number of international students in the United States during the 2019/2020 academic year, this group still represents 5.5% of all students in U.S. higher education.

The U.S. Embassy in Dhaka, through EducationUSA Bangladesh, is celebrating International Education Week (IEW) by offering a number of virtual programs for Bangladeshi students and scholars to join.  Over the next five days, our EdUSA advising centers in Bangladesh will host 10 webinars on various topics related to studying in the United States.  Programs will feature Bangladeshi students currently studying at Michigan State, Yale University, McNeese State University, and New York University, and  representatives from the following U.S. higher education institutions:  Bentley University, California State University at San Bernardino, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Florida International University, Hamilton College. Midway University, Minnesota State University, Missouri Western State University, New York University’s (NYU) Tandon School of Engineering, Northern Arizona University, Orange Coast College, Pepperdine University, State University of New York at Oswego and New Paltz, Stony Brook University, University of Houston-Victoria, University of New Mexico, University of Northern Iowa,  University of South Dakota, University of Texas at Arlington, University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire and Milwaukee, and Valparaiso University.