Saudi Arabia Participates in International Education Week 2008.

19, November 2008

Saudi Arabia is the ninth-leading country of origin for students studying in the US.

The ninth annual International Education Week, which takes place from November 17-21, 2008, is being celebrated throughout the Kingdom with a number of events for students interested in studying in the United States.  Events include information sessions on how to apply to universities, radio appearances, television interviews, and University visits. 

International Education Week is a joint initiative of the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of State.  This year’s theme is International Education: Fostering Global Responsibility and Leadership.

“International education is at the very heart of cultivating this leadership” notes U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings.  “Exchange programs broaden students’ perspectives by giving them the opportunity to make new friends, learn or perfect foreign languages, and adapt to unfamiliar cultures.”

Coinciding with the launch of International Education Week, The Institute for International Education in Washington, DC, released its annual Open Doors report, which shows the total number of international students at colleges and universities in the United States.  According to the 2008 report, in the academic year 2007-08, there were 9,873 students from Saudi Arabia studying in the United States—an increase of 25.2% over the previous year, making Saudi Arabia the ninth-leading place of origin for students coming to the United States.  Saudi Arabia ranked first among Middle Eastern countries, exclusive of Turkey, in number of students studying in the United States. 

“These numbers reflect an impressive increase in the number of Saudi students choosing to study in the United States,” says Counselor for Public Diplomacy at the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh, Rebecca Winchester.  “We look forward to Saudi Arabia continuing to move up the list in the years to come, and we welcome all interested individuals to visit our website at www.Riyadh.usembassy.gov for information on educational scholarships, study opportunities, and upcoming information sessions on studying in the U.S.”

Educational Advisor at the U.S. Embassy Karen Bauer adds, “We encourage all students interested in studying in the United States to contact our Education Advising Offices at the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh and the Consulate Generals in Jeddah and Dhahran.  We are here to give accurate, comprehensive, objective and timely information about educational opportunities in the United States.”

For more information about International Education Week, please visit http://iew.state.gov/.

To access the 2008 Open Doors report from the Institute for International Education, visit http://iew.state.gov/..

To visit the U.S. Embassy to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s website, visit http://opendoors.iienetwork.org/.