“Some 48,000 Saudi scholarship students are currently studying in various universities and colleges in the United States,” said Mofid Deak, press attaché at the mission in Riyadh. He added another 5,000 students are studying in the US on their own and along with the students’ family members. There are up to around 100,000 Saudis currently staying in the US.

The diplomat said that during the fiscal year ended September, the missions in the Kingdom had issued 121,296 visas for Saudis, up 32 percent over the previous year. The Riyadh embassy issued 71,490 visas, while Jeddah and Dhahran issued 26,349 and 23,457 visas respectively.

“Of the visas issued in the Kingdom,” he said, “26 percent was for students which was a remarkable number.”

Deak added that there was a 34 percent increase in the number of student visas issued to Saudi citizens compared to the previous year.

During International Education Week, the US Department of State highlights existing efforts to attract future leaders from abroad to take advantage of the exceptional educational opportunities in the United States, he said.

“We also recognize that foreign students bring with them tremendous intellectual, social and economic benefits,” the attaché said, pointing out that as part of these efforts, the department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs gives student visa appointments special priority.

All US embassies and consulates expedite visa processing for foreign students to ensure qualified students are able to begin their academic program on time, he noted.

“The maximum wait for a student visa appointment is fewer than 15 days. However, the missions in the Kingdom have reduced it to two to three days,” he said, adding that they can apply for their visas up to 120 days before their academic programs begin. We always encourage all visa applicants to apply early.”

At home and abroad, students continue to seek international education to gain skills, contacts and the experience necessary to succeed in the global marketplace. The consistent growth in international enrollments in the United States attests to the universally recognized preeminence of the country’s higher education system.

International education grew by nearly nine percent during the 2010/11 academic year and foreign students studying in the United States brought $21.3 billion into the domestic economy. Most importantly, educational exchanges foster mutual understanding, respect and goodwill between Americans and people around the world, he concluded.