African Nations Hosting the Most American College Students Who Are Studying Abroad

In last week’s edition we reported data which showed the African nations that are sending the most students to study at American institutions of higher education. 

Now we turn the tables and show which African nations are hosting the most American university students.

More than 191,000 American students studied at foreign institutions of higher education during the 2003-04 academic year. This was up 9.6 percent from a year earlier. A vast majority of Americans studying abroad (60.9 percent) attended universities in Europe. Of all U.S. students studying abroad, 5,699, or 3 percent, attended universities in Africa. The number of American students studying in Africa was up a whopping 18 percent from the previous year.

Among black African nations, South Africa was the most popular destination. In the 2003-04 academic year, 2,009 American students studied in South Africa. This was up by 26 percent from the prior year. In the 1994-95 academic year, only 86 Americans were enrolled at South African universities. Kenya, Ghana, Tanzania, Senegal, and Uganda were the only other black African nations hosting more than 100 American college students.

Of the 191,321 American students studying abroad in all areas of the globe, 5,627, or 3.4 percent, were African Americans.