A total of 6,468 Ghanaian students studied in the United States in the 2022-2023 academic year, representing 31-per cent jump over the last academic year, according to the Open Doors Report.
This report is usually published annually by the Institute of International Education (IIE), in order to analyse the number of international students in the United States.
A total of 4,140 Ghanaians are in graduate degree programmes representing a 38 per cent increase over last year, making Ghana the 14th largest sender of graduate students to the United States.
According to the report, Ghanaian students earned nearly nine million in scholarships last year to more than 700 higher educational institutions in all 50 states.
U.S. Ambassador to Ghana, Virginia Palmer, said that the U.S. Colleges and Universities offer world-class educational opportunities, and Ghanaian students in the United States were deepening the ties of friendship, family, and business between the two countries.
‘’We are so happy to see Ghanaians seeking to learn, develop their skills, and return to Ghana to benefit their communities,” she said.
To help meet the growing demand, the U.S Ambassador said the Embassy processed a record number of 6, 468 student visa cases in the last financial year.
She said the Embassy guided qualified individuals to be successful applicants to U.S. Colleges and Universities through Education USA and the U.S. Department of State’s network of education advisers, adding that Ghana currently had two of the advising centres at the U.S. Embassy in Accra and at ACE Consult in Asokwa, Kumasi.
She said the majority of international students in the United States study in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) fields; math and computer science continued to grow as the leading field of study for international students in 2022-2023.
“This year, U.S. Embassy Ghana hosted the two largest Education USA College fairs ever held in Ghana in Accra and Kumasi, which attracted more than 13,000 students, parents, and academic professionals,” she said.
The United States remains the top destination for international students with over one million (1,057,188) international students in academic year 2022-2023, which is a 12 per cent increase over the previous year.
Education USA Advisors work with students in-person and virtually to enhance understanding of the college or university application process to be successful applicants.
Over the last year, Education USA advisors from the Accra and Kumasi-based centres helped thousands of Ghanaian students apply for admissions to hundreds of accredited U.S. institution of higher learning.
BY TIMES REPORTER
