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Uganda has achieved a historic milestone with a 20% surge in students pursuing higher education in the United States, rising from 1,088 in 2022/2023 to 1,303 in 2023/2024, according to the Open Doors 2024 Report. This growth cements Uganda’s position as a leading sender of students from Sub-Saharan Africa to US institutions.

Ugandan students pursuing higher education in the US has reached an all-time high, reflecting both the ambition of Uganda’s youth and the growing international recognition of US universities as premier destinations for global education.

According to the Open Doors 2024 Report on International Educational Exchange, the number of Ugandans studying in the US surged by nearly 20%, marking a historic increase from 1,088 students in 2022/2023 to 1,303 students in 2023/2024.

Uganda is now among the emerging top senders of international students to the US from sub-Saharan Africa, states the latest report from Open Doors 2024 Report on International Educational Exchange.

The EducationUSA network, through its team at the US Embassy’s American Centre in Kampala, provides vital resources for Ugandan students aspiring to study in the US.

This year’s report also reveals a broader increase in international student enrolment in the US, which surpassed 1.1m (1,126,690) students for the first time.

This growth, which represents a 7% increase over the previous academic year, comes as a part of a broader celebration of the 75th anniversary of the Open Doors Report.

The milestone highlights how higher education serves as a bridge between cultures, fostering collaboration, innovation, and global relationships, according to a release issued by the US Mission in Kampala on Tuesday, November 19, 2024.

Scott Weinhold, Senior Bureau Official for the Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs in Kampala, observes that this significant rise in enrolment underscores the expanding role of Uganda as one of the emerging top senders of students from Sub-Saharan Africa to US institutions.

“The experience of studying in the United States not only shapes the lives of individuals, but the future of our interconnected world,” says Scott Weinhold, Senior Bureau Official for the Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

“The ties formed between US and international students today are the basis of relationships for future business and trade, science and innovation, and government relations,” he adds.

About EducationUSA

EducationUSA is a US Department of State network of over 430 international student advising centres in more than 175 countries and territories.

The network promotes US higher education to students around the world by offering accurate, comprehensive, and current information about opportunities to study at accredited postsecondary institutions in the US. EducationUSA also provides services to the US higher education community to help institutional leaders meet their recruitment and campus internationalisation goals.