About 688 students from Uzbekistan were studying in colleges and universities in the US in 2008/2009, up from 539 in the 2007/2008 academic year, according to the IIE’s Open Doors 2009 report. Each year, the IIE works with the US State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs to compile the Open Doors report, which documents the number of international students enrolled in US institutions of higher education.

The IIE attributed the big increase among students from Uzbekistan in part to increased activity by the Embassy’s Educational Advising Center (EAC) in Tashkent and greater efforts by US colleges and universities to attract students from Uzbekistan and from throughout Central Asia.

Molly Stephenson, the Public Affairs Officer at the US Embassy in Tashkent, said the increase also shows a growing interest in international educational opportunities among Uzbekistan’s students.

“We are thrilled that 28% more students from Uzbekistan are now studying in the United States compared to last year,” she said, adding that the EAC has been very active in reaching out to these students. “This office gives students the tools and information they need to successfully apply to American educational institutions.”

The EAC hosts regular informational sessions on how to successfully complete college applications, research financial aid or scholarships, and prepare for life on an American campus. The office also provides one-on-one consultations with students interested in studying in the US and supports a reference library.

“We hope these free resources will give students the information they need to pursue their educational goals,” Stephenson said.

The Tashkent EAC is one of about 400 US State Department EducationUSA advising centers around the world.

US colleges and universities actively recruit international students, saying they are often among the best students, and that they improve the educational environment for all students on campus. The schools often provide attractive financial aid packages and a range of services to help international students adjust to life in the US

More than half of the undergraduate students from Uzbekistan are enrolled in 2-year community colleges, which provide a relatively low-cost way to gain accreditation in specific professional fields or to begin coursework toward a four-year university degree. About 28% of the students from Uzbekistan are enrolled in the Lone Star College System, a group of five public community college campuses in the Houston, Texas, area.

The highest number of graduate students from Uzbekistan are enrolled at the University of Nebraska-Omaha; Johnson and Wales University, which has campuses in four cities around the US; and Indiana University-Bloomington, which has a prominent Central Asia studies program.

Overall, the number of international students at US higher education institutions increased about 8% for the 2008/2009 academic year. There are now about 670,000 international students in the US, almost 15% more than in 2002/2003, which at the time had the highest number of international students ever.

“American higher education continues to be highly valued throughout the world. US campuses offer unparalleled opportunities for creativity, flexibility, and cultural exchange,” said Allan E. Goodman, the president of IIE. “The steady increase in the number of international students in the United States reflects actions taken by the US government and many individual colleges and universities to ensure that international students know they are welcome in the United States, and that we appreciate how they contribute to the intellectual and cultural environment on campus and in the wider community.”

The number of students from Central Asia has more than doubled from 1,339 in the 2004/2005 academic year to 3,242 in 2008/2009. That number grew by 16% in 2008/2009 from the previous academic year.