• Says 14,400 Nigerians are studying in the US
The United States government has allocated approximately N23.2 billion in financial aid and scholarships to Nigerian students pursuing their education within its borders.
The United States Embassy in Nigeria further disclosed that in the year 2021 alone, Nigerian students made a remarkable contribution of $449 million to the U.S. economy, as reported by the Bureau of Economic Analysis within the U.S. Department of Commerce.
Nigeria stands as the top-ranked nation in Sub-Saharan Africa and ranks 10th globally in terms of the number of students attending higher education institutions in the United States.
It is noteworthy that 50% of Nigerian students studying in the U.S. are engaged in graduate-level programmes.
The U.S. Embassy disclosed that Mission Nigeria issued over 9,000 student visas in the previous year, marking an astonishing 405.3% surge in visa issuance.
According to the Embassy, aside from Texas, other prominent states hosting Nigerian students include Illinois, New York, Georgia, and Massachusetts.
Presently, there are no less than 14,400 Nigerian students enrolled in various institutions across the United States.
These students are distributed across 973 educational institutions, spanning all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Adnan Siddiqi, Counsellorr for Public Affairs at the U.S. Embassy, in Abuja, shared these insights during the opening of the 22nd annual U.S. Embassy and Education USA College Fair, EducationUSA.
Siddiqi emphasized that the financial aid and scholarships were granted to students who received guidance from EducationUSA.
He noted, “In the past year alone, nearly $30 million (23.2 billion naira) in financial aid and scholarships were awarded to students guided by EducationUSA.”
Siddiqi also highlighted that Nigeria sends more students to the United States than any other African nation, citing recent reports.
“It is worth noting that Nigeria sends more students to the United States than any other African country,” he mentioned.
According to the latest available data, over 14,400 students are currently pursuing their studies in over 973 institutions, spanning all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
And if you are curious about the most popular state, it is none other than Texas!”
Attributing the surge in the number of Nigerian students studying in the U.S. to the annual fair, Siddiqi stated, “Our annual college fairs have played a pivotal role in boosting the number of outstanding applicants to U.S. institutions, as well as in securing additional financial aid and scholarship opportunities for Nigerian students. Many of those students attend a diverse range of institutions in the United States, from small liberal arts private colleges to large state universities.”
The fair saw participation from representatives of 54 U.S. colleges and universities.
