About 1,700 Scholars From Black African Nations Are Teaching at U.S. Colleges and Universities

In the 2007-08 academic year, there were 106,123 foreign scholars teaching at American colleges and universities. Only 2,730, or 2.6 percent, are from Africa. More than one third of the African scholars teaching in the United States are from the Arab nations of North Africa. Today there are about 1,700 scholars from black African nations teaching at U.S. colleges and universities.

Scholars from 43 black African nations taught at U.S. colleges and universities during the 2007-08 academic year. South Africa sent 273 scholars to teach in the U.S., more than any other black African nation. But it is not known how many of these South African scholars teaching in the U.S. are white and how many are black.

Among other black African nations, Nigeria sent 256 scholars to teach in the United States. Kenya was close behind with 253. Ghana, Ethiopia, Cameroon, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Uganda, and Senegal were the only other black African nations to send as many as 50 scholars to teach at U.S. universities.