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 289,000 American students studied at foreign institutions of higher education during the 2012-13 academic year. This was up 2.1 percent from a year earlier. A majority of Americans studying abroad attended universities in Europe.

Of all U.S. students studying abroad, 13,411, or 4.6 percent, attended universities in sub-Saharan Africa. The number of American students studying in sub-Saharan Africa increased by 4.3 percent from the previous year. Sub-Saharan Africa sends 2.3 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 2012-13 academic year, 5,337 American students studied in South Africa. Ghana hosted 2,086 American students in the 2012-13 academic year. More than 1,000 American students studied abroad in Kenya and Tanzania. Uganda, Rwanda, Senegal, Botswana, Ethiopia, Malawi, and Zambia hosted more than 200 American students.  Namibia, Cameroon, 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 289,408 American students studying abroad in all areas of the globe, about 5.3 percent, are African Americans. A decade earlier in the 2002-03 academic year, African Americans were 3.4 percent of all American students who studied abroad.

Open Doors 2014

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Get the JBHE Weekly Bulletin

Receive our weekly email newsletter delivered to your inbox

Latest News

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.

In Memoriam: Norman B. Anderson, 1955-2024

Dr. Anderson was the assistant vice president for research and academic affairs at Florida State University at the time of his death. He had an extensive career in clinical psychology, which led him to become the first African American chief executive officer of the American Psychological Association.

Georgia State University Launches Program to Support Black Women in Tech

While Black women account for roughly 29 percent of the Georgia State University undergradaute student body, they represent only 10 percent of the university's computer science majors and 18 percent of the computer information systems majors.

Featured Jobs