D

Almost 900,000 international students are studying in American c olleges and universities today. Nearly half of this record number of foreign students are from Asia, mainly China.

They are among people from other countries who now make up about 4 percent of all university students in the U.S. America has more of the world’s 4.5 million international students than any other country.

The report made by The Institute of International Education and the State Department shows that since 2000, the number of international students in the U.S. has grown by 72 percent. Students from China in undergraduate(本科生) programs are mainly responsible for this growth.

Eric Xu, a Chinese student at Columbia University, says studying in the U.S. is a valuable experience. “In the U.S. they encourage class discussions, and put stress on your opinion, you can actually discuss with others and with your professor or teacher, and that is an atmosphere (氛围) I want to experience.”

While the number of the international students from China rose by almost 17 percent over the past year, other countries also saw a major increase. Kuwait's college student population rose by 42 percent and that of Brazil, by 22 percent. Other countries with more international students than earlier are Saudi Arabia, Iran and Venezuela.

The report says the Middle East and North African area was the fastest growing in international student population. It showed an increase of 20 percent in students studying at colleges and universities. In Latin America and the Caribbean, there was an 8 percent increase.

About 290,000 U.S. students went to study abroad in 2012-2013 for educational credit. Europe, especially Britain, remains the number-one nation for study by Americans. But the latest report shows an increase in the number of students who now choose to go to China and other nations.