Hello, Everyone.
I am honored to welcome you on behalf of the U.S. Department of State,
our colleagues in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs that support your work,
and the thousands of people facilitating international
educational exchange at our many embassies, consulates and American Spaces abroad.
I would like to thank Allen Goodman and the entire staff at IIE- the Institute of International
Education – especially the research team led by Dr. Mirka Martel. The IIE team does incredible
work each year to gather and analyze Open Doors data and develop this report. I would also like
to thank the Academic team in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, as well.
Open Doors is a critical resource for the United States, U.S. partner governments overseas, and the
global higher education community. Open Doors sets the standard for data and trend analysis
on student and scholar mobility and is essential for informed planning and decision making.
The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs
is proud to partner with IIE and fund this report.
We could not produce Open Doors without the support of U.S. colleges and universities.
So, thank you to all of the U.S. higher education institutions that responded
to the survey and provided essential student mobility data from their campuses.
It’s wonderful to be with you today, and to help kick off the 2021 International Education Week,
an annual joint initiative between the U.S. Departments of State and Education.
And what an excellent opportunity to highlight and celebrate
the good work that you at our colleges and universities do, each and every day across
the higher education sector. So, thank you to everyone who contributed to this year’s report.
The United States and the entire U.S. government is deeply committed to international education.
Secretary Blinken recently called international education a foreign policy imperative.
And earlier this year, he stated
“Having a greater sense of the interdependence of the global community is a critical part of
higher education, especially in the age of COVID-19 and the climate crisis.”
And in July, Secretary Blinken and Secretary of Education Cardona issued a Joint Statement
of Principles in Support of International Education. This statement outlines 10 principles
to guide a coordinated U.S. national approach to renew our focus on international education.
The Joint Statement recognizes the value of student mobility for both U.S. and international
students. By studying together, they establish strong, lasting bonds that form the basis
of future business, trade, scientific, and diplomatic relations.
Over time, these people-to-people ties foster innovation and economic prosperity
and promote the peace and security of the United States and nations around the world.
The United States remains the top destination for international students from across the globe,
welcoming more than 914,000 students from over
200 places of origin in the 2020 to 2021 academic year.
International students bolster the American economy,
contributing $39 billion and supporting 416,000 U.S. jobs during the 2019-2020 academic year.
And international students build lifelong connections with American peers to maintain
and grow America’s international partnerships and to collectively address
current and future global challenges.
Attracted to the U.S. by our country’s leadership in research and innovation,
international students, researchers, scholars,
and exchange alumni engage in scientific collaboration with their American peers.
And they have made significant contributions to the development
of treatments and vaccines for COVID-19, and in so many other STEM-related fields.
This type of research collaboration between higher education institutions
across the globe are central to our economy and our foreign policy.
As you know, the global pandemic affected international educational exchange and
student mobility around the world, and the United States was not immune.
But throughout the pandemic, the United States remained open
and welcoming to international students.
U.S. higher education institutions demonstrated tremendous dedication and flexibility
in their support of international students. U.S. colleges and universities have prioritized
the safety of all students - both domestic and international - during the pandemic.
They supported international students by implementing online and hybrid teaching modalities
as well as additional flexibilities in admissions and enrollment policies. Many institutions allowed
students to enroll in fully online study programs or even defer enrollment to a future date.
So, we applaud the incredible support that the entire higher education community has provided
to international students in this challenging time.
The U.S. government also supported international students by allowing those who were already in
the United States at the time of the outbreak to remain here and safely
continue their studies and by providing flexibilities where possible to students
seeking visas and looking to begin their studies at a U.S. college or university.
All these efforts exemplify the shared commitment across our government
and university sectors to international student mobility and global higher education.
At the Department of State, we maintained and even increased
our engagement with international students.
State Department exchange programs,
including our flagship Fulbright Program, continued to operate where safe to do so,
and we were able to keep thousands of foreign Fulbright students here throughout.
Our global network of EducationUSA student advising centers shifted to online programming
and continued to operate in 175 countries and territories around the world, developing new
and innovative programs to support U.S. colleges and universities and reach international students.
To coincide with the announcement of the Joint Statement in Support of International Education,
EducationUSA released the first in a series of videos
promoting study in the United States under the hashtag #StudyWithUS.
As we continue these efforts, the United States remains the
top destination for international students from across the globe.
The 2021 Fall Snapshot, a preliminary survey produced by IIE
of U.S. higher education institutions hosting international students,
shows a rebound in numbers this fall, indicating that international students continue to value
a U.S. education and remain committed to pursuing study in the United States.
Prior to the pandemic, over 347,000 U.S. students studied abroad.
The global pandemic essentially halted
all international travel for U.S. students in March 2020.
U.S. higher education institutions prioritized student safety and
quickly repatriated thousands of American students from study abroad programs around the world.
Colleges and universities swiftly adapted to enable students to remain globally
engaged through a variety of virtual and hybrid international programs.
At the State Department, we’ve also learned lessons about
effective virtual and hybrid international programming,
including how to expand access to broader and more diverse student audiences.
So, we look forward to working with higher education institutions
to maintain and adapt these virtual best practices as a complement to in-person exchanges.
And as student demand soars and study abroad returns, we must recommit ourselves to ensuring
that international educational experiences become ever more accessible and reflective
of the rich diversity of the United States. This has long been a priority for the Bureau of ECA.
And President Biden has made clear, through a number of bold and ambitious initiatives, that we
must all prioritize diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility as a national security
imperative, to ensure that critical perspectives and talents are represented in this sector.
Study abroad and global educational programs are essential to the development
of the next generation of American leaders in all fields. Through programs like our
flagship Fulbright exchanges, the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program,
and other exchanges and programs for scholars, students, teachers, professionals and citizens, we
are working hard to expand access to international educational experiences for all Americans.
And there’s no doubt that the past 20 months have presented us with
unprecedented challenges that have impacted everyone—including the U.S. government,
the global academic community, and international and American students alike.
However, the strength and resilience that we have all
demonstrated has been nothing short of inspiring.
We continue to focus on rebuilding academic exchanges and student mobility post-pandemic.
And we look forward to collaborating with our friends and colleagues across the higher
education sector to build back better from the pandemic and celebrate important milestones,
like the 75th anniversary of the Fulbright Program this year.
The U.S. Department of State is committed to partnering with higher education institutions
on international education to advance our common objectives.
We will continue to work together to expand access to global learning and engagement opportunities
for international and American students, scholars, and researchers.
Together, we will continue to build lasting diplomatic ties, enhance economic prosperity,
and promote global peace and security for all. Thank you