U.S. Students in China: IIE’s Pilot Study on 100,000 Strong Initiative

U.S. Students in China: Meeting the Goals of the 100,000 Strong Initiative, a new report from IIE’s Center for Academic Mobility Research with support from the Ford Foundation, presents findings from a pilot study to capture the full breadth of U.S. student participation in education abroad activities in China. 

The study finds that American students are going to China for a wide range of education activities, and based on the number of students pursuing expanded non-credit educational opportunities in China, the U.S. Department of State’s goal of sending 100,000 Americans to study in China by 2014 will likely be met. The report also addresses the challenges and opportunities for sending more Americans to China and the need for a better system of tracking student activity abroad at the institutional level. 

Key findings: There were at least 26,686 Americans participating in a wide range of educational activities in China in 2011, with more than 58 percent participating in programs for academic credit and 42 percent participating in non-credit activities and degree study. While about 76 percent of all U.S. students in China pursuing for-credit and not-for-credit education abroad were undergraduates, the number of students pursuing full degrees in China is on the rise: 2,184 Americans were enrolled in Chinese higher education institutions in 2011, a 23 percent increase over the previous year.

Read and download the executive summary and the full report here.