Ghana has recorded an impressive rise in sending students to the United States in the 2023-2024 academic year underscoring significant increase in academic, economic, and social opportunities.
The country, as of the 2023-2024 academic year has a total of 9,394 nationals studying at various universities and colleges in the US. This new figure, the 2024 Open Doors Report compiled by the Institute of International Education says represents a 45.2% increase over the previous academic year.
With this 45.2% increase, Ghana has risen to the 18th rank in sending students to the United States globally. The report further indicates that 6,337 Ghanaian students are enrolled in graduate programmes making Ghana the 9th largest global sender of graduate students to America.
Around a total of $9.2 million was earned by some of these Ghanaian students in scholarships further indicating the scale of investments being made in the country’s human capital development.
These trends, the report indicate how the United States is equipping Ghanaians with advanced knowledge in Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), business, and computer sciences.
Experts believe areas are pivotal to innovation and entrepreneurship that have the potential to transform Ghana’s economic landscape when these students return.
For the families of these students back home, these opportunities will potentially lead to an improvement in their socio-economic standards as they also benefit from remittances from these family members studying abroad.
