Tracking U.S. College Students Who Study Abroad in Sub-Saharan Africa

map_outline_africaAccording to data from the Institute of International Education, more than 283,000 American students studied at foreign institutions of higher education during the 2011-12 academic year. This was up 3.4 percent from a year earlier. A majority of Americans studying abroad (53 percent) attended universities in Europe.

Open Doors 2013 copyOf all U.S. students studying abroad, 12,859, or 4.5 percent, attended universities in sub-Saharan Africa. The number of American students studying in sub-Saharan Africa increased by 8.3 percent from the previous year. Sub-Saharan Africa sends 2.4 times as many students to American universities as America sends to sub-Saharan African universities.

Among sub-Saharan African nations, South Africa was by far the most popular destination. In the 2011-12 academic year, 4,540 American students studied in South Africa. Ghana hosted 2,190 American students in the 2011-12 academic year. More than 1,000 American students studied abroad in Kenya and Tanzania. Uganda, Senegal, Botswana, Ethiopia, Namibia and Zambia hosted more than 200 American students. Rwanda, Malawi, Swaziland, Cameroon, Gambia, Sierra Leone, and Madagascar were the only other sub-Saharan African nations hosting more than 100 American college students.

While the data does not reveal what percentage of American students studying abroad in Africa are African Americans, we do know that of the 283,332 American students studying abroad in all areas of the globe, about 5.1 percent, are African Americans.

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Get the JBHE Weekly Bulletin

Receive our weekly email newsletter delivered to your inbox

Latest News

Four African Americans Appointed to University Administrative Positions

The appointments are Donald R. Pearsall at Alabama A&M University, Padonda Webb at North Carolina A&T State University, Michael Scales at the University of Pennsylvania, and Dawn Leaks Ragsdale at Yale University.

In Memoriam: Shani Mott, 1976-2024

Dr. Mott was a lecturer in the department of history and Center for Africana Studies at Johns Hopkins University where she worked for the past sixteen years. Her academic studies focused on racial language in American popular culture.

California State University Sacramento Launches Black Honors College

Officially launching for the fall 2024 semester, the Black Honors College will support students from all backgrounds who study Black history, life, and culture by providing them with a specialized curriculum and mentoring opportunities.

Higher Education Gifts or Grants of Interest to African Americans

Here is this week’s news of grants or gifts to historically Black colleges and universities or for programs of particular interest to African Americans in higher education.

Featured Jobs