More foreign students apply for study US visa

July 06 2009 by Mark Johnstone

US visa students enrollments at record high

According to the National Science Foundation (NSF), the number of overseas students who applied for a US visa and enrolled in full-time graduate courses in 2007 increased to a record high.

The news that more student US visas are being granted is an indication that post-2001 red tape and restrictions on these types of visas has reduced.

Newly released figures from the NSF report, 'Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering: Fall 2007' show that graduate science and engineering courses were particularly popular with temporary US visa holders. First-time temporary visa holder enrollments in science and engineering courses rose 8.3% in 2007, which is the most recent government data available on foreign student numbers. The numbers of enrollments from foreign students in general for these types of courses grew by 12% to 6,275 between 2006 and 2007, following a 20% increase the year before.

Interestingly, the number of foreign students enrolling in engineering courses outnumbers the number of enrollments from US citizens. However, in 2007 the number of new enrollments in science courses from US citizens grew by 2.5%, slightly exceeding the increase in enrollments from student US work visa holders - up 2.3% to 2,641.

Enrollment in computer-related graduate courses was down among both US citizens and foreign students

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