Last School Year, 886,052 International Students Studied at U.S. Colleges and Universities

The number of international students on U.S. college campuses hit a record high, even close to twice the number from just twenty years ago.  886,052 international students studied in the U.S. during the 2013 – 2014 academic year; the students from China, India, and South Korea made up half of this population.

A surprising increase of students came from Saudi Arabia.  Twenty-five times more Saudi students are in the U.S. today than just ten years ago.  Most are here on full scholarship through the $5-billion King Abdullah Scholarship Program which includes books, tuition, housing, full medical coverage, a monthly stipend, and a free annual flight for their families to come to the States to visit them. (Talk about all-expenses paid!) This scholarship will end by 2020 when Saudi Arabia expects to have its own world-class universities.

One Cru resource to reach Saudi students is the very popular site, EveryArabStudent.com, the Arabian version of EveryStudent.com.  Arab-speaking students living in the Middle East, or studying abroad, find answers to many of life’s questions on this evangelistic site which also offers them a relationship with Christ.

Bridges International is Cru’s specific ministry to international students. We were surprised to learn from their web site that 80% of the international students in America never set foot in an American home. Do you live near a campus? Could your church families befriend these students? Visit bridgesinternational.com to find which campuses have Bridges International chapters. Also, the site offers training and resources to start Bridges on a campus near you.

Thank you for partnering with us to touch the lives of the world’s future leaders as they spend some very formative years in our country. Would you join with us in praying that these students would hear, and understand, the gospel while studying in the U.S.?

NOTE: We’d like to credit a Cru blogger, Tim Casteel, for finding great graphs and charts about international students for this letter. We’ve included one graphic for you which he found on CartoMission, but you might want to see more fascinating graphs on his blog.