More US students in Belgium – and vice versa

Figures from the Institute of International Education show that 880 Belgian students registered to study at a school of advanced learning in the US in 2012-13, Flanders News reports. It’s an increase of 8.4 percent compared with five years ago. The institute’s Open Doors 2012 report shows that 1,374 US nationals registered for academic studies in Belgium in 2011-12, up 10.5 percent on the previous year. US ambassador to Belgium Howard Gutman welcomed the figures: “There can be no better investment to maintain strong relations between Belgium and America than American students in Belgium and Belgian students in America.” Ambassador Gutman also stressed that the US Embassy concentrated on facilitating such exchanges. Among foreign students the most popular US states in which to study are New York, Texas, Massachusetts and Illinois.