The US Consul-General in Nigeria, John Bray, says there are currently 11,710 students from Nigeria studying in the US. According to him, Nigeria has the highest number of students from Sub-Saharan Africa studying in his country and the 12th highest in the world.
Mr. Bray who reeled out the figures during the pre-departure orientation for Nigerian students heading to US to study said that compared to last year, the figure represents a 9.7% increase. He stated that the number of Nigerians studying in the US has been going up for the past seven years.
According to the Consul-General, out of the more than one million international students in the US, 35,364 of them come from Sub-Saharan Africa. In the breakdown of the 11,710 students from Nigeria, Mr. Bray said: “49.5 percent are undergraduate; 36.2 percent graduate are students, 2 percent are non-degree candidates, and the remaining 12.3 percent are on Optional Practical Training. Students from Nigeria attend about 800 institutions in each of our 50 states. The most popular state is Texas, with 1,540 students, while the most popular college/university is Houston Community College, with 220 students.
Mr. Bray blushed: “One major reason for the increase of Nigerian students in the US is the value that Nigerians place on quality education. “I am pleased to say that accredited US colleges and universities provide quality education. Whether you are interested in a large school or small school, a school in a rural or urban setting, or you want to study in a hot or cold climate, the US has a school for you”.
He urged all the students to take advantage of the opportunity to represent Nigeria in the best possible light, admonishing them, “You may be the only Nigerian that many Americans meet and therefore you need to know that you are representing all of Nigeria.
