Educational migration to USA from Bangladesh hits all-time high
10,597 Bangladeshi students chose to study there in the last academic year, advancing the country one place from the previous year
The educational migration to the United States is getting a boost as the number of Bangladeshi students in the US universities and colleges increased by 23.3% during the 2021-22 academic year compared to the previous year.
Some 10,597 students from Bangladesh chose to study in the US during the last academic year which is all-time high, according to the 2022 Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange released on Monday.
With this, the country advanced one place from 14th to 13th place on the list of countries sending international students to the United States.
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Experts said Bangladeshi students travelling abroad for higher study is increasing gradually, especially to North America, Europe, and Australia thanks to alluring facilities, scholarships.
Over the past decade, the number of Bangladeshi students in the United States has more than tripled, increasing from 3,314 during the 2011-12 academic year to 10,597 during the 2021-22 academic year.
Shortly after independence, Bangladesh sent 480 students to the United States during the 1974-75 academic year, according to the US Embassy.
Barrister Ershad Ahmed Nishan, an immigration lawyer and also the chief executive officer of Study Solution, told TBS, "Education is one of the key revenue earning sources in the USA, UK, Canada and Australia etc. A portion of Bangladeshi students are going abroad for undergrad-level study with self-funding as affluent parents are unwilling to keep their children in the country.
However, a significant number of Bangladeshis are enrolling at the Masters and PhD levels in the USA, most of whom get scholarships and financial waiver, he added.
He said, "Visa issuance is the key part for the students to go abroad. As the USA recently increased issuance of visas, Bangladeshi students are availing opportunities to go there increasingly.
According to Unesco data, some 24,112 students went abroad from Bangladesh in 2015 and the number quadrupled by 2020. Some 70,000-90,000 Bangladeshi students travel overseas for higher studies every year.
The United States, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, India, China, Malaysia, Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom, and other European countries are among the preferred countries for Bangladeshi students thanks to scholarships and other facilities.
