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.
Source: SEVIS Data Mapping Tool
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.