Vietnamese Enrollments in US Hold Steady in Latest SEVIS Update

11:22 18/02/2021

Amazingly, SEVIS issued another update in December 2020, i.e., in the US presidential interregnum, that provides a clear, real-time picture of international enrollments at US educational institutions. That was the third in one year, in addition to January and September 2020.

Below are the top 10 sending countries with 12-20 stats, 9-20 stats in parentheses, and the percentage change in three (3) months. Viet Nam’s decrease was a modest 2.34% to 25,221 students. As a result of other country decreases, the percentage of international students from Viet Nam currently studying in the US increased to 2.89%.

As you can see, Viet Nam is now in 4th place primarily because of Saudi Arabia’s continued decline.

1) China: 265,908 (276,126) -3.7%
2) India: 152,062 (169,338) -10.2%
3) South Korea: 42,153 (43,792) -3.74%
4) Viet Nam: 25,221 (25,824) -2.34%
5) Canada: 24,464 (26,029) -6.01%
6) Brazil: 23,992 (24,863) -3.5%
7) Saudi Arabia: 22,320 (23,323) -4.3%
8) Taiwan: 17,787 (18,538) -4.05%
9) Nigeria: 13,849 (14,207) -2.52%
10) Japan: 12,967 (13,523) -4.11%

Here are the rankings and enrollment figures from 1-20 to 12-20 that illustrate recent downward trends in more dramatic fashion.

1) China: 368,800 to 265,908 (-27.9%)
2) India: 194,556 to 152,062 (-21.84%
3) South Korea: 59,421 to 42,153 (-29%)
4) Saudi Arabia: 34,524 to 22,320 (-35.35%)
5) Viet Nam: 29,976 to 25,221 (-15.86%)
6) Brazil: 29,897 to 23,992 (-19.75%)
7) Canada: 29,669 to 24,464 (-17.54%)
8) Taiwan: 24,057 to 17,787 (-26%)
9) Japan: 21,865 to 12,967 (-40.70%)
10) Nigeria: 16,018 to 13,849 (-13.54%)

Viet Nam had the second lowest percentage decrease – after Nigeria. The top five decreases were Japan, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Taiwan, and India.

Digging Deeper

Among the 25,221 Vietnamese students enrolled at US educational institutions, 54.4% were female and 45.6% male. Those percentages have been pretty consistent over the years, making Viet Nam somewhat of an outlier among Asian countries.

Here’s a breakdown by level and type of institution:

Secondary: 2,507 (9.9%)
Community colleges: 5,885 (23.3%)
Four-year institutions: 11,165 (44.3%)
Master’s programs: 2,667 (10.6%)
Ph.D. programs: 1,653 (6.6%)
Language training: 738 (2.9%)

Among Vietnamese students at all levels, 87.66% (22,108) were in higher education. For secondary students, i.e. those at boarding and day schools, there was another 3.61% decrease from 2,601 to 2,507, in addition to the 33% decline from January (3,891) to September 2020.

Majors

Finally, below is a list of the most popular majors among Vietnamese undergraduates in 2019/20, according to the 2020 Open Doors Report.

Business/Management: 28.8% (highest percentage among top 25 sending countries!)
Math/Computer Science: 15.6%
Engineering: 11.5%
Other fields of study: 10.4%
Physical/Life Sciences: 9.7%
Social Sciences: 5.4%
Health Professions: 5%
Fine/Applied Arts: 4.9%
Undeclared: 3.6%
Intensive English: 2.4%
Humanities: 1.5%
Education: 1.1%

We have also received requests for graphic design, interior design, tourism and hospitality, and psychology.

This 9 January 2021 article of mine, which is based on the September 2020 SEVIS update, will add some meat to the statistical bones highlighted in this post: Will Vietnamese student numbers in the US recover post-COVID?

The December 2020 figures for Vietnamese students are a solid foundation upon which to build in this year of recovery in which we have seen an uptick in interest in overseas study, including the US.