New NAFSA Data: International Students at U.S. Community Colleges Contribute $2.4 Billion to the Nation's Economy

WASHINGTON, May 31, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- NAFSA: Association of International Educators announced a new economic analysis of international students studying in the United States. The new data released today found that the nearly 100,000 international students attending U.S. community colleges contributed $2.4 billion to the U.S. economy and supported more than 14,000 jobs during the 2016-2017 academic year.

According to the analysis, five states exceeded $100 million in contributions from international students at community colleges, with California nearing the $1 billion mark. Additionally, the data show that for every six international students enrolled at U.S. community colleges, one U.S. job is created and supported by spending occurring in the higher education, accommodation, dining, retail, transportation, telecommunications and health insurance sectors.

NAFSA annually releases an economic analysis on international students attending U.S. institutions broadly. The most recent data, released last November, show that international students contributed $36.9 billion and more than 450,000 jobs to the U.S. economy. This community college-specific analysis was conducted in response to a renewed emphasis within the higher education community on the importance of international student recruitment to U.S. community colleges.

"Community colleges provide a fertile environment for students of all walks of life to learn and develop vital skills that will lead to professional success," stated Esther D. Brimmer, Executive Director and CEO at NAFSA. "The results of this analysis demonstrate that as community colleges continue to prioritize internationalization in their expansion efforts, and as they continue to welcome international students to their campuses, our country and our students are the better for it."

The economic analysis was conducted for NAFSA by Jason Baumgartner of Indiana University's Office of International Services, using enrollment data from the Institute of International Education's Open Doors 2017 report, which is produced in partnership with the U.S. State Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, tuition and expense data from the U.S. Education Department's National Center of Educational Statistics Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System and jobs data from the U.S. Commerce Department's International Trade Administration and Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Sample Tweet: New @NAFSA data: #IntlStudents at #CommunityColleges contribute $2.4 billion & more than 14k jobs to the U.S. economy. https://bit.ly/2sbaaC0 #NAFSA2018

About NAFSA: With more than 10,000 members, NAFSA: Association of International Educators is the world's largest nonprofit association dedicated to international education. Visit us at www.nafsa.org/press. To learn more about our advocacy efforts on behalf of international education, visit www.ConnectingOurWorld.org and @ConnectOurWorld on Twitter. Resources to guide our members on these issues can be found at www.nafsa.org/reginfo.

SOURCE NAFSA: Association of International Educators

Related Links

http://www.nafsa.org