Nigeria Sends More Students to U.S. Colleges and Universities Than Any Other Black African Nation

In 2008 there were 35,654 Africans studying in the United States. They made up 5.7 percent of all foreign students in the U.S.  Among black African nations, Nigeria in 2007-08 sent the most students to American colleges and universities. In 2007-08, 6,222 Nigerians were studying here. Nigerian enrollments are up by more than one third over the past five years. Kenya ranked second, sending 5,838 students to the United States.

Ghana, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Tanzania, Cameroon, and Ethiopia each had more than 1,000 students studying in this nation. Zambia, Cote d’Ivoire, Uganda, Burkina Faso, Angola, and Senegal all sent at least 500 students to study at U.S. colleges and universities.

All told, 49 black African nations had college students studying in the U.S. during the 2007-08 academic year.