Education

Education: 25,000 Nigerians gain admission into U.S. colleges, universities

Published

8 years ago

July 17, 2018

Feyijimi Emmanuel

Nigeria ranks 12th in the world as subscribers of U.S. education

By Chioma Obinagwam

The United States Consul GeneraI, John Bray has said that approximately 25,000 Nigerians have gained admission into U.S colleges and universities.

He disclosed this during the pre-departure orientation for Nigerian students heading to the U.S to study.

“I want to congratulate you on gaining admission to U.S. colleges and universities for both under-graduate and graduate studies. Well-done. I know you had many choices of where to study, and I am pleased you chose to go to the United States,” John Bray said.

“I am very proud of EducationUSA Lagos for reaching approximately 25,000 students this year, through various means, such as at the center, on-line, at fairs, etc. information on studying in the U.S.,” he added.

He noted that the admissions were made possible through the help of EducationUSA.

He described EducationUSA as the U.S. Department of State network of over 425 international student advising centers in more than 175 countries that promotes U.S. higher education to students around the world by offering accurate, comprehensive, and current information about opportunities to study at one of the 4,700+ accredited postsecondary institutions in the United States.

He said, “In a nutshell: EducationUSA is your official source on U.S. higher education.

To date, about 250 student-members of the Lagos EducationUSA Center studying at U.S. institutions in the fall of 2018, have received scholarships from U.S. institutions totaling over $4 million.”

He further disclosed that a One 12th grader got a full ride scholarship to Harvard to study Political Science.

He added that many of the graduate students with whom EducationUSA worked were admitted to fully funded doctoral programs in the Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields.

Six Opportunity Fund Program grantees, he stated, will be going for their fully funded PhD programs in STEM fields.

Bray noted that of one million international students in the United States, 35,364 of these students come from Sub-Saharan Africa, and Nigeria ranks 1st in the region and 12th in the world as a sending country.

“There are currently 11,710 students from Nigeria studying in the United States. 49.5 per cent undergraduate; 36.2 per cent graduate students, 2 per cent are non-degree candidates, and the remaining 12.3 per cent are on Optional Practical Training,” he disclosed.

He noted that there has been a 9.7 per cent increase in the number of Nigerian students studying in the United States in the current year of 2018 compared to the corresponding year of 2017; that the number has been going up since the past seven years.

Bray said, “One major reason for the increase of Nigerian students in the U.S. is the value that Nigerians place on a quality education. I am pleased to say that accredited U.S. colleges and universities provide a quality education.

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.

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 United States has a school for you. “

He however acknowledged the efforts of the Consulate’s Director of EducationUSA, Chinenye Uwadileke and the Deputy Director, Adeoloa Oseni.