Strengthening People-to-People Ties: Bangladeshi Students in US Higher Education

13th Largest Sending Country: Bangladesh is currently the 13th largest sending country of international students to the United States, showcasing the strong educational ties between the two nations.

Record Number of Bangladeshi Students in the US

• All-Time High Enrollment: The US Embassy is pleased to announce that 13,563 Bangladeshi students chose to study in the United States during the 2022-2023 academic year, as reported by the 2023 Open Doors Report on International EduICcational Exchange.
• Significant Increase: This number represents a 28% increase from the previous academic year (2021-2022), one of the highest overall increases in the world.
• Cultural and Academic Contributions: Bangladeshi students bring incredible experiences to US classrooms, enriching campus life through cultural programs and engaging in groundbreaking research.
• Recognition and Gratitude: The US appreciates the contributions of Bangladeshi students and is grateful for their increasing presence in American universities. Their participation strengthens the people-to-people ties between the two countries.
• Value of US Education: The high demand for US degrees is due to the exceptional quality of the US education system and the global value of an American degree.

American Spaces in Bangladesh

Six American Spaces: EducationUSA operates through six American Spaces across Bangladesh, providing free access to information about studying in the United States. These are:

• The American Center at the US Embassy, Baridhara, Dhaka
• Edward M. Kennedy (EMK) Center in Gulshan, Dhaka
• American Corner Chattogram (1/A O R Nizam Road Prabartak, circle), Chattogram
• American Corner Rajshahi (Paba, Kharkhari Bypass Road), Rajshahi
• American Corner Khulna (Shib Bari More), Khulna
• American Corner Sylhet (Shamimabad, Bagbari, Sylhet)

Extensive Network: EducationUSA is part of a global network of over 430 advising centers, providing virtual and in-person sessions.

Undergraduate and Graduate Students

• Undergraduate Growth: The number of Bangladeshi undergraduate students increased by more than 50%, with 2,500 students enrolled in undergraduate programs.
• Graduate Enrollment: Nearly 10,000 Bangladeshi graduate students are studying in the US, making Bangladesh the seventh largest source of graduate students in the United States.

Decade of Growth

• 300% Increase in a Decade: Over the past decade, the number of Bangladeshi students in the United States has increased by more than 300%, from 3,314 students in the 2011-2012 academic year to 13,563 in the 2022-2023 academic year.

Increasing Engagement and Visits

• More US College Visits: The number of US colleges and universities visiting Bangladesh has increased dramatically. In 2023, 58 HEI representatives visited Bangladesh, marking an over 200% increase from 2022.

Continued Growth Anticipated

This positive trend is expected to continue, further boosting the number of Bangladeshi students choosing to study in the United States

• Strengthening Resilience to Disasters: The United States has helped improve Bangladeshis' resilience to severe cyclones, floods and other storms including the historic flooding in northern Bangladesh in 2022, Cyclone Mocha in 2023, Cyclone Remal in 2024, and other other disasters.  US support provided tens of thousands of people hit hardest with food, cash, shelter, water and other life-saving assistance. The United States has built and renovated over 900 multi-purpose disaster shelters since 2001 and helped the country establish early warning systems to keep people out of harm's way. 
• Strengthening Health: US support to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare contributed to passing a monumental medicine and cosmetics bill in 2023 to protect consumers and expand pharmaceutical exports.  US assistance also helped Bangladesh establish the country's first medical devices testing laboratory in 2023, paving the way for Bangladesh to manufacture and certify its own medical equipment in the future.

Empowering Ready-Made Garment Workers

Over the past year, the US has trained over 2,000 workers–half of whom were women–from 300 garment factories on labor laws, workers' rights, and collective bargaining agreements. As a result, garment workers formed 23 new factory unions and kept 31 collective bargaining agreements, securing benefits for over 24,000 members and enabling nearly 300 women workers to assume union leadership positions.

US Trains and Awards Young Bangladeshi Journalists

• TechCamp Dhaka: The US Embassy in Dhaka hosted the first-ever TechCamp workshop in Bangladesh from February 6-8, 2024, to empower 50 aspiring journalists. The event focused on combating misinformation, fact-checking, and learning best practices in Artificial Intelligence (AI).
• Grants: Following TechCamp, the US Embassy awarded $18,430 in grants to four projects by participating journalism students and young journalists. These projects aim to advance media literacy and combat misinformation.
• Educating Youth: US support has brought 16 consecutive seasons of Sisimpur, the popular educational TV program, to help millions of Bangladeshi children improve literacy skills. Over the past two seasons, Sisimpur introduced viewers to Julia, a Muppet with autism, and Ameera, a Muppet who uses a wheelchair, as part of the show's focus on promoting diversity and inclusivity among all people.
• Accelerating Growth in Agriculture: Over the past year, US Feed the Future programs helped more than 1 million farmers and agribusiness retailers adopt new technologies to boost yields, improve productivity, and increase profit margins. As a result, participating farmers and agribusinesses generated sales of over $1 billion – enabling them to reinvest profits in their own businesses, create jobs, and contribute to broader economic growth.
• Protecting the Environment: Last year, US support empowered communities in the Chittagong Hill Tracts to restore 4,000 hectares of forested areas and strengthen conservation efforts across 67,000 hectares of forests – helping reduce carbon emissions by 750,000 tons. Together, we have now brought over 1 million hectares of wetlands and forests under protection.

US businesses are well known in Bangladesh as world-class providers of high quality, innovative goods, and services.  In the last decade, our bilateral trade relationship has grown to over $10 billion.  As a reflection of this growing economic relationship, the US Department of Commerce officially opened the Foreign Commercial Service Office in Dhaka in October 2022.  

What does the Commercial Section do for US and Bangladeshi companies?

Our mission is to assist US companies interested in exporting to Bangladesh and protecting the interests of US companies already in the market. We also assist Bangladesh firms that are looking to source products and services from US companies.  Simply put, we help bring the US and Bangladesh private sectors closer together.  

We do this in a variety of ways:

• Connecting US firms which are interested in doing business in Bangladesh with local partners. 
• Arranging face-to-face meetings between US suppliers and local partners through our business matchmaking services.
• Participating in leading trade shows in the US, Bangladesh and around the world that highlight US companies and help them connect with local partners.    
• Finding US products, services, and partners that are a good match for Bangladesh businesses.

Since opening of our Foreign Commercial Service office, we have taken Bangladeshi buyer delegation to US to attend a number of trade shows in US  

The Foreign Commercial Service office also promotes foreign direct investment into the US and Bangladeshi companies looking to invest in the US are welcome to get in touch with them.  

• Leveraging Private Sector Investments for Development: Last year, USAID leveraged over $100 million in private sector investments towards accelerating development programs that benefit communities, empower individuals, and create jobs.

The United States is the single largest donor of humanitarian assistance to those affected by the Rohingya crisis in Burma, Bangladesh, and the region.  Total US funding for this crisis has reached nearly $2.4 billion since August 2017, of which over $1.9 billion has been provided for refugees and host communities in Bangladesh.

Diversity in law-enforcement leadership:  Since its inception in 2010, ICITAP Bangladesh has assisted the Bangladesh Police in empowering and increasing leadership responsibilities for policewomen. In 2010, there were only 2.2% female officers in the force, but now it has increased to 8.69%, ICITAP has supported approximately 2,911 policewomen of different ranks through various opportunities such as in-country training, mentoring, international seminars, conferences, and study tours. Over the past four to five years, many of these policewomen have been promoted and assigned to leadership positions, including specialized units. ICITAP consistently identifies policewomen who excel and supports their advancement to leadership roles. Notably, three ICITAP-trained female officers received Informational Association of Women Police awards in 2019, 2022, and 2023.