The United States government has revealed that the number of Nigerian students studying in the country has increased to 13,423 in the 2018/2019 academic session.



The US Mission in Abuja disclosed this in a statement issued yesterday in Abuja, quoting an Open Doors 2019 report, released yesterday by the Institute of International Education (IIE) and the US Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.



The US said that the new report indicated that there was a 5.8 per cent increase in the number of students from Nigeria who are currently studying in the US. It said the report revealed that the number of international students in the US set an all time high in the 2018/19 academic year, the fourth consecutive year with more than one million international students.



It stated: "The total number of international students, 1,095,299, is a 0.05 per cent increase over last year, according to the 2019 Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange.



"This percentage represents a total of 13,423 Nigerian students studying in the US in the 2018/2019 academic session. This number also represents 33 per cent of the overall African students in the US, making Nigeria the leading source of students from the continent and 11th largest country worldwide."



"This number also represents 33 per cent of the overall African students in the US, making Nigeria the leading source of students from the continent and 11th largest country worldwide."



The US said that Nigerians are enrolled in more than 1,000 institutions in 51 states and territories in the country, out of which 18 per cent are studying in Texas.



It noted that Nigerian students using EducationUSA services recorded $16 million in scholarships and financial aid awarded to newly admitted students for the 2019 academic year.