The table below shows the primary funding sources of international students in the US during the years 2003/04 and 2013/14.
Write a 150-word report for a university lecturer describing the data and make comparisons where relevant.
Changes of primary Funding source of international Students in the U.S. 2003/04 – 2013/14.
| Primary Source of Funding | Number of Students in 2003/04 | % of Total in 2003/04 | Number of Students in 2013/14 | % of Total in 2013/14 | % change from 2003/04 to 2013/14 |
| Personal and Family | 385543 | 67% | 574129 | 65% | 49% |
| U.S. College or University | 134015 | 23% | 171218 | 19% | 28% |
| Foreign Government or University | 13699 | 2% | 66147 | 7% | 383% |
| Current Employer | 10111 | 2% | 49503 | 6% | 390% |
| Other Sources | 29141 | 5% | 25055 | 3% | -14% |
| Total | 572509 | 100% | 886052 | 100% | 55% |
The given table illustrates the changes in the percentage of foreign students in U.S who received funds from various sources in a decade, from 2003-04 to 2013-04.
Overall, although main source of funds for the international students was their own or family money followed by support from U.S. College/university, the significant rise was witnessed in funding from foreign government/university and current employer.
In detail, the out of total 572509 overseas students, 67% students used their own or family income to support themselves in 2003-04. The number of these students increased by 49% in one decade but their percentage reduced to 65% of total 886052 students. Similarly, the U.S. government/University provided funds to 28% more students in 2013-14 than in 2003-04 however, their percentage among total students in 2013-14 also declined by 4%.
In contrast, foreign government/University and current employers each gave their support to mere 2% students in 2003-04 whereas their support grew by 390% and 383% respectively in 10 year and reached 6% to 7% students. Meanwhile, there was a decline of 14% students which received funding from other sources.