New Global Marketing Campaign Aims to Attract International Students, Bolster Education Sector
For Immediate Release
October 27, 2021
Contact: Office of Public Affairs
Phone: 202-482-3809
WASHINGTON – This month, the International Trade Administration launched USA: A Study Destination, a new global marketing campaign to promote the United States as a premier destination for international students to study. This effort complements a new federal framework to support the U.S. international education sector and boost U.S. education exports, including service exports which are generated when international students pay for tuition, housing, books, and other fees.
Key elements of the USA: A Study Destination campaign include:
- Providing tools and a platform for study states (composed of colleges and universities, community programs, and similar entities representing education within U.S. states) to address challenges faced by increased global competition in the international education sector, and to foster economic growth.
- Convening public and private entities to develop promotion, recruitment, and market-entry strategies. This will enable the United States to better compete against other countries working to recruit international students as part of their national economic strategies.
- Offering new opportunities for study state consortia and similar entities to participate in programming aimed at increasing U.S. educational service exports.
“The United States has a long and proud history of hosting students from all over the world to live and learn in the United States and make meaningful contributions to our communities and culture,” said ITA’s Global Education Team leader Gabriela Zelaya. “This new campaign is designed to help U.S. states attract the best and brightest minds. We stand ready to help our educational institutions and industries succeed.”
According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. education was the sixth largest U.S. service export in 2020 at an estimated $39 billion. Data from NAFSA: Association of International Educators indicates international students studying at U.S. higher education institutions supported nearly 416,000 jobs during the 2019-2020 academic year.
ITA’s Global Education Team supports the U.S. education industry—colleges and universities, public and private schools, and local educational programs underpinned by products, service providers and technologies made in the United States. Our global network of U.S. Commercial Service trade experts in 106 U.S. offices and more than 75 international markets offers unique trade promotion programs, market analysis, and services to help the U.S. education sector compete and grow educational service exports. Learn more about our work to promote U.S. education trade.
