More students come to US colleges from China, India, but relatively few Americans study abroad

BOSTON – International students are studying in the U.S. at record numbers, but the number of Americans studying abroad has lagged behind.

New data from the nonprofit Institute of International Education show that international students in the U.S. grew by 10 percent last year, the biggest single-year gain in more than 35 years. The swing is credited to a surge in students from India and continued growth from China.

The number of Indian students rose by 30 percent, the biggest jump in at least 60 years.

But the number of American students studying abroad grew only 5 percent, with less than 2 percent of all undergraduates in the U.S. studying abroad. To boost those numbers, the U.S. Department of State said it will open a new office encouraging students to study abroad.