Pakistani Student Enrollment in US Universities Hits All Time High

[Riaz Haq]

Pakistani student enrollment in America's institutions of higher learning rose 16% last year, outpacing the record 12% growth in the number of international students hosted by the country. This puts Pakistan among eight sources in the top 20 countries with the largest increases in US enrollment. India saw the biggest increase at 35%, followed by Ghana 32%, Bangladesh and Nepal at 28% each, Pakistan 16%, Colombia 13%, Italy 10% and Spain 5%. 

Top 8 Source Countries of Foreign Students in US. Source: IIE OpenD...

"During 2022-2023, there were 10,164 Pakistani students, compared to 8,772 in the previous year, indicating an impressive 16% increase," according to IIE Open Doors Report for 2022-23. There has been an overall 33% increase in enrollment of Pakistani students in US colleges and universities. 

Major Destinations of Pakistanis Studying Abroad. Source: UNESCO

The most recent UNESCO data (2021) counts 71,865 Pakistani students abroad in higher education. More recent statistics published by government sources in various receiving countries show that the outbound student mobility from Pakistan was over 103,190 in 2022. There have been large increases in Pakistani students recorded recently in the UK, Australia, US, Canada, and Germany. The UK is now the top destination with over 23,000 Pakistani students, followed by Australia with nearly 16,000 students from Pakistan  in 2021/22, according to the ICEF Monitor. 

The most recent UNESCO data (2021) puts the total number of Indians studying abroad at 508,174. 

Pakistani Students in America. Source: IIE OpenDoors

Pakistan is ranked as the 16th biggest source of foreign students in America. China remains the top-sending country in 2022/23, with 289,526 students studying in the U.S. (-0.2% year-over-year). India, the second largest sending country, reached an all-time high of 268,923 international students in 2022/23, an increase of 35% year-over-year, according to the report.

Top 20 Sending Countries of International Students in America. Sour...

The United States is hosting over one million (1,057,188) international students in the 2022/2023 academic year, a 12% increase compared to the previous academic year. It is the fastest growth rate in more than 40 years. It is partly attributable to the end of the COVID19 pandemic which dramatically diminished international student mobility. 

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[Riaz Haq]

INTERNATIONAL STUDENT MOBILITY

https://wenr.wes.org/2020/02/education-in-pakistan


Pakistan is a significant exporter of international students globally. According to UNESCO statistics, the number of outbound Pakistani degree-seeking students grew by 70 percent over the last decade, from 31,156 in 2007 to 53,023 in 2017. While that number is dwarfed by the more than 330,000 degree-seeking students from neighboring India, consider that Pakistan’s outbound mobility ratio—the percentage of international students among all students—is almost three time as high (2.7 percent in 2017) as that of India (1 percent). This means that it’s far more common for Pakistani students to study abroad and broaden their academic horizons in another country than it is for Indian students.

Further increases in student outflows from Pakistan are expected in the years ahead. The British Council, for instance, expects Pakistan to be among the top 10 growth countries worldwide until 2027, despite an overall cooling of international student mobility on a global scale. For one, the precarious economic conditions and employment prospects in Pakistan are a major push factor for both international students and the hundreds of thousands of labor migrants leaving Pakistan each year. Studying abroad can open immigration pathways in countries like Australia or Canada, while a foreign degree gives those that return a competitive edge on the Pakistani labor market.

Another important driver is the lack of university seats and high-quality study programs in Pakistan, particularly at the graduate level. While Pakistan has created a tremendous amount of new doctoral programs over the past decade, growing numbers of Pakistani scholars are heading abroad to access higher quality education, primarily in fields like engineering and the sciences. To modernize research in Pakistan and raise the qualifications profile of university faculty, the government supports this development with scholarship programs of considerable scale, considering Pakistan’s fiscal constraints. While most Pakistani students are said to be self-funded, overseas scholarship programs have helped thousands of graduate students to pursue studies in the United States, the United Kingdom, Cuba, Germany, France, and various other countries in recent years. Scholarship recipients are often required to return home after graduation.

The traditional English-speaking international study destinations, Australia and the U.S., are currently the top choices among Pakistani degree-seeking students, as per UNESCO statistics. Datapublished by the Australian government show that the number of Pakistani students grew almost threefold over the past decade, from 3,512 in 2008 to 10,000 in 2019, making Pakistan one of the top 10 sending countries of tertiary students in Australia.

In the U.S., likewise, Pakistani enrollments have generally been on an upward trajectory over the past few years. According to the Open Doors data of the Institute of International Education, Pakistan sent 7,957 students to the U.S. in 2018/19, an increase of 5.6 percent over the previous year, making it the 22nd most important sending country. Around 44 percent of these students are enrolled in undergraduate programs, 35 percent in graduate programs, and 4 percent in non-degree programs, while 17 percent pursue Optional Practical Training.

Other popular destination countries include the U.K. and the Muslim-majority countries Malaysia and Saudi Arabia, the latter also being a magnet for labor migrants from Pakistan. It should be noted, however, that China has emerged as a significant destination as well. China may, in fact, now host the largest number of Pakistani international students worldwide. While UNESCO does not report data for China, and Chinese government figures are difficult to compare,1 Pakistan is currently the third-largest sending country to China with 28,000 students, per Chinese statistics.

[Riaz Haq]

US Visa issuance 2018 to 2023: Non-immigrant visas showed a steady increase from 40,679 in 2018 to 80,852 in 2023, and while Immigrant visas fluctuated, they too increased from 10,114 in 2018 to 16,320 in 2023 – Gallup Pakistan Digital Analytics Report on Immigration and Non Immigration Visas to US from Pakistan

https://gallup.com.pk/post/36260#:~:text=US%20from%20Pakistan-,US%2...

Has there been an increase in influx from Pakistan to US between 2018 to 2023?

Non-immigrant visas showed a steady increase from 40,679 in 2018 to 80,852 in 2023. Conversely, immigrant visas fluctuated, with 10,114 in 2018 experiencing a noticeable drop in 2020 with only 3,750 visas issues, most likely due to Covid-19, however, they rebounded by 2023 with 16,320 immigrant visas issued within the year. These numbers reflect the dynamic nature of travel and immigration patterns over the past few years.

KEY FINDINGS FROM THIS PRESS RELEASE:

There was a fluctuating trend of non-immigration US visas issued for Pakistanis in 2023, with peaks in October (9,565) and December (7,483), and low points in July (4,795) and April (5,723), highlighting potential seasonal patterns or shifts in travel behaviour.
Across categories: “Business & pleasure” lead with 85.11% of the visas issued, followed by “Student” making up 3.67% of the visas issued, while “Temporary Workers” only made up 1.33% of the total Non-Immigration US Visas issued in 2023.
Immigrant US visa issuance for Pakistanis fluctuated month-to-month, reflecting varying demand.
Across categories: “Special immigrants” lead with 46.65%, closely followed by “Immediate relatives of US citizens” at 32.22%, while “Employment based” visas only made up 1.41% of the Immigrant US Visas issued in 2023, indicating a lesser reliance in work-related sponsorship.
Non-immigrant visa issuance showed a steady increase from 40,679 in 2018 to 80,852 in 2023.
Immigrant visa issuances fluctuated, with 10,114 visas issued in 2018, experiencing a noticeable drop in 2020 with only 3,750 visas issues, most likely due to Covid-19, however, they rebounded by 2023 with 16,320 immigrant visas issued within the year. These numbers reflect the dynamic nature of travel and immigration patterns over the past few years.
Examining the Non-Immigrant Visa issuances in Pakistan, Islamabad Consulate led with 52.2%, while the Karachi Consulate followed with 47.8%.

[Riaz Haq]

Year-Ender: Which were the top 5 study abroad destinations for Indian students in 2024? - Times of India

A record 1.3 million Indian students pursued overseas education in 2024, drawn by better prospects and global exposure. While Canada, the US, and the UK remain …

Source: The Times of India
https://search.app/hYwNfe5zRwjr64jL7

Canada 427,000

US 337,630

UK 185,000

Australia 122,202

Germany 42,997

[Riaz Haq]

New Forms Of Higher Education For Building Pakistan’s Future

ByBryan Penprase, Contributor. Bryan Penprase covers global innovations in

https://www.forbes.com/sites/bryanpenprase/2025/02/18/new-forms-of-...

Pakistan’s future economy will be built through higher education. Pakistan’s economy has been traditionally rooted in agriculture and textiles but is expanding its presence in construction, renewable energy, and IT and its higher education system can provide more opportunities for a young and growing population. The nation’s future economy will be based on technology growth and in manufacturing, mining, and renewable energy. Already, Pakistan has produced many startup companies, such as NayaPay, a fintech payment processing platform founded in 2016, and DealCart, an online grocery store founded in 2022. Both were listed in the Forbes Asia 100 To Watch list in 2024, and new investments from China, Saudi Arabia, UAE, and the US promise to further develop Pakistan’s tech sector.

Pakistan’s meteoric population growth provides unique challenges. In just the past twenty years, its population has grown from 141 million to over 250 million, making Pakistan the fifth most populous country in the world. The median age is estimated at 19 years in 2023, and two thirds of its population is under 30, giving the country the third largest college-age population in the world, surpassed only by China and India. Keeping the most talented, young population within the country is vital for developing its future, yet in 2022 alone, over 760,000 Pakistanis emigrated, including 92,000 highly educated doctors, engineers and other tech professionals.

Pakistan’s Future Depends on Higher Education
To develop and retain its most talented young people, Pakistan urgently needs to expand and upgrade its higher education system. Higher education in Pakistan began with the University of the Punjab, founded in Lahore in 1882 under British Colonial rule. Another early institution, Lahore Mission College, was founded in 1864 and renamed Forman Christian College (FCC) in 1894. Additional public universities were developed after 1947, notably the prestigious Quaid-i-Azam University, founded in 1967 to offer postgraduate programs, and the Allam Igbal Open University, Pakistan’s largest university with over 1 million students, founded in 1974.

By the early 1980’s Pakistan allowed new private universities, enabling the founding of Aga Khan University (AKU) in 1983, with a focus on health sciences, and the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) in 1985. Prominent public universities were also formed recently, such as the top-ranked National University of Science and Technology (NUST), formed in 1991. By 2024, Pakistan had over 240 colleges and universities, enrolling over 3 million students, representing only 11 percent of Pakistan’s college-aged population. While Pakistan’s system lacks capacity to fully serve its large population, many innovative universities including AKU, LUMS, FCC, as well as Habib University are retaining some of Pakistan’s best students to shape Pakistan’s future.

Aga Khan University (AKU) and Medical Education
AKU began as Pakistan’s first private university and hosts the country’s the top-ranked Medical College. With branch campuses opened in 2000 in East Africa, Afghanistan and the UK, AKU has since expanded across Africa to Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. Despite being small and selective, with under 2000 students, AKU provides affordable health care to over 2 million patients in six countries. The institution is committed to empowering women, who comprise nearly half of its faculty and 60% of its students. AKU also has major programs in teacher education and educational leadership, with Institutes for Educational Development based in Pakistan and East Africa.

Other major universities: LUMS, FCC, Habib,