Spending by international students in Georgia topped $1 billion for the first time, underscoring the value of education as an export in a year that also saw a record number of arrivals: 28,175.
Georgia’s total number of inbound students grew by 6.5 percent, while their spending on tuition and fees jumped by about 5 percent to $1.06 billion, according to the annual Open Doors Report from the Institute of International Education.
Georgia remained the No. 12 state for attracting students from abroad, according to the report, which was released at the start of the U.S. State Department‘s annual International Education Week.
Within the state, the top three sending nations remained the same, with India and China accounting for more than half of the total. As at the national level, India topped China for the first time in recent decades, accounting for 26.6 percent of students to China’s 25.3 percent in Georgia. South Korea was once again No. 3, at 6.2 percent. Rounding out the top five were Nigeria (3.9 percent) and Taiwan (2.1 percent).
India’s emergence as the top sender of students in Georgia aligned with trends at the national level, where India grew by 23.3 percent in one year to take the crown for the first time since 2009. China saw a 4 percent decline in students sent to the U.S. during the 2023-24 school year, perhaps reflecting growing U.S.-China tensions.
Georgia was right on pace with what the U.S. posted overall: 6.6 percent growth to a total 1.13 million international students nationwide.
Among the top five host institutions in the state, Georgia State University saw the greatest increase, with a 19 percent jump as it stayed at No. 3.On the outbound side, Georgia State also more than doubled its study-abroad participation, from 327 students to 729.
Georgia Tech was again the leading host, with 8,148 foreign students (6.2 percent growth) followed by the Savannah College of Art and Design at 4,458 students (2.6 percent). Sitting at Nos. 4 and 5 were Emory University (3,163 students, 3 percent growth) and the University of Georgia (2,759, 8.5 percent growth).
More than half of international students nationwide came to study in STEM fields.
See more statistics in the state fact sheet below or read the full Open Doors Report here:
OpenDoors_FactSheet_Georgia_2024-1
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