# Presentation: 042968

## U.S. Commercial Service 

** **
**Briefing for AEM Study USA 2005 Tour**

## AGENDA

- Introductions
- CS Products & Services
- What is AEM?
- Country market briefs
- AEM Study USA schedule
- Q&A
- Closure

## Products & ServicesPresenter:Sr.Commercial Specialist, Debra Rogers

- Catalog Exhibitions
- Commercial News USA
- Customized Market Research
- Gold Key USA
- International Company Profile
- International Partner Search

## What is AEM?Presenter: Senior Commercial Officer, Michael Richardson

- The **Access Eastern Mediterranean Program** gives you maximum exposure in the region's markets and 190 million consumers. The unified promotion events target each of five broadly defined Best Prospect industries.
- This is a great opportunity for accredited post-secondary educational service providers to tap the demand for the thousands of students from these markets.

## What are the benefits of participating in the AEM Study USA Tour 2005 ?

**You register just once, and pay one fee, to promote your institutions in all seven markets!**** **
**During September and October, Embassy Commercial Specialists and our partners in each market will conduct a proactive advertising and promotional campaign to prospective students!**** **
**Your institution will be featured on our AEM website!**** **
**Participation is very flexible! **** **
**Option 1: ($400 per stop): You or your designee represents your institution at your own table.**** **
**Option 2: ($200 per stop): Embassy personnel represent your programs with literature and catalogs**** **
**Option 3: Mix and match options 1 and 2**

## U.S. Commercial Service 

** ****Country Market Briefs**

## EgyptPresenter:Ms.Sohair Saad,Director of the Educational Resource Center, AMIDEAST

- Egyptian higher education
- Egypt has a large number of educational institutions
- 435 Universities, Faculties and Institutes
- 2 million students enrolled

## Egypt

- Why study in the U.S.A ?
- Quality education and environment
- Springboard to a prosperous career
- Investment for the future

## Egypt

- Most popular fields of study are:
- Computer sciences followed by business, engineering and biotechnology
- The number of Egyptian students enrolled in U.S Universities increased from 1035 in 2000 to 1822  2003/4
- The majority of Egyptian students in the U.S. study at the graduate level
- 65%  Graduate students
- 35% Undergraduate

## Egypt

- Visa information
- The U.S. Embassy in Cairo enthusiastically welcomes students who wish to study in the United States.  We have eliminated many delays in processing, and routinely grant expedited appointments for student visa interviews.
- 400 student visas in FY04, 392 in FY03, and 451 in FY02.  (This does not count the many people who study on "J" exchange visas.)

## Egypt

- How to approach this market?
- Participate in the Study USA Tour 2005
- Attend educational fairs sponsored by Amideast
- Become an institutional member with Amideast
- For more information contact:
- Senior Commercial Specialist, John Abdelnour

## IsraelPresenter: Ms.Galit Alon,Senior Educational Adviser with USIEF(Fulbright)

- Israeli higher education
- Population of 6.8 million
- Israeli universities offer a high level of research
- In 2004** **there were 200,145 students studying for all degrees.
- Undergraduate student statistics are as follows:
- Universities: 70,204
- Colleges: 8,511
- Teacher training colleges: 21,714
- Other institutions: 51,057
- Graduate degrees: 48,659

## Israel

- Israeli higher education (cont’d)
- 8 universities
- 8 regional colleges associated with universities
- 23 regional colleges
- 22 teacher training colleges
- 12 institutions who offer a diploma recognized by the Ministry of Education
- 11 schools of the art
- 59 technological colleges

## Israel

- Why study in the USA?
- Excellent reputation of U.S. universities
- Prestige
- Career advancement
- A wide range of fields of study offered
-  Cultural exchange
- The availability of optional practical training
- Advancement of the English language

## Israel

- Most popular fields of study are:
- Clinical psychology, MBA, Law, Arts, Social Sciences,
- 	Bioengineering, Biotechnology, Political Science and
- 	Architecture
- In 2003/4, 3474 Israeli students studied in the U.S.
- 1,584 under-graduate
- 1,674 graduate
- 216 other

## Israel

- Visa information
- 95% of all visa requests are granted
- Visa process takes 3-4 weeks
- 2003: F1/F2 1172 , J1/J2 3388
- Study USA service provides tips for successful visa interviews
- Study USA service provides letter of support to member students

## Israel

- How to approach this market?
- Video conference sessions
- Study fairs
- Visits by university recruitment directors
- Offer scholarships
- Market prestigious universities – Israeli students are looking for high quality education
- Recruit Israeli alumni to talk with students
- For more information contact:
- Commercial Specialist, Alan wielunski

## JordanPresenter: Ms.Muna Farkouh, Commercial Specialist

- Jordanian higher education
- Jordan has a population of more than 5.3 million and priority is given to education with a literacy rate of nearly 90%.
- English is systematically taught as a second language, and a large number of Jordanian students are proficient in English.
- 9 public universities
- 14 private universities
- 21 community colleges
- 243,000 students enrolled
- In 2001/2002 there were more 179,335 secondary students in 1,167 secondary schools of which 91 were private.

## Jordan

- Why study in the U.S.A?
- For more than a decade, the U.S. has been the most popular study destination for Jordanian students outside of the Arab World
- Jordanian parents want the best for their children and they see education as an investment in their children’s future
- The U.S. is seen as an education destination that builds a strong base for careers
- Students who do not gain admission to Jordanian premier institutions see the U.S. as an alternative that will also open doors for them in the future
- Jordanian students value U.S. higher education because of the high standard of education that U.S. institutions offers

## Jordan

- Most popular fields of study are:
- Engineering, business, computer science, and medicine is the fastest growing major for Jordanian students
- Of the 1,853 Jordanian students studying in the U.S. in 2003/4, the majority were at the graduate level
- 54.6%  graduate
- 41.3%  undergraduate
- 4.1%   other

## Jordan

- Visa information
- The US Embassy in Jordan enthusiastically welcomes students who
- wish to study in the United States. This past year, in order to ensure
- prompt service to our student applicants, the consular section assigned
- student visa' days. On these days, student visa applicants were able to
- come to the embassy to apply without a scheduled appointment and
- were guaranteed to be interviewed. During the peak summer months,
- these student visa' days were held once every two weeks. In this way,
- the embassy was able to accommodate both new and returning
- students.

## Jordan

- How to approach this market?
- Appoint agents
- Attend educational fairs
- Make presentations and seminars
- Local representative office
- Posters/brochures made available at  AMIDEAST
- Visit as often as possible
- For more information contact:
- Commercial Specialist, Muna Farkouh

## Lebanon

- General Information
- Lebanon’s population is estimated at 4,000,000 citizens
- The official language is Arabic but the majority speak English
- Literacy rate stands at 89 percent
- Lebanon has one of the best educational systems in the Middle East
- Lebanon has some 40 colleges & universities, and numerous institutes
- 125,000 students are enrolled in Lebanon

## Lebanon

- Cost of higher education
- Annual fee is estimated at $8,000 in American-style credit based private universities
- Annual fee is estimated at $4,500 in other credit based private universities

## Lebanon

- Why study in the U.S.A ?
- Quality education and environment
- Springboard to a prosperous career
- Investment for the future

## Lebanon

- Lebanese students in the U.S.
- In 2004 there were 2,179 Lebanese students studying in the U.S.
- The majority of Lebanese students in the U.S. study at the graduate level

## Lebanon

- Visa information
- Lebanese students are advised to apply to the U.S. visa 6-8 weeks prior to their travel to the U.S. to avoid security clearance delays.
- Students applying for graduate studies have a better chance to get their visa than applicants for undergraduate studies.

## Lebanon

- How to approach this market?
- Participate in the Study USA Tour 2005
- Attend educational fairs sponsored by Amideast
- For more information contact:
- Senior Commercial Specialist, Naaman Tayyar

## MoroccoPresenter: Thanae Bennani, Commercial specialist

- Morocco’s higher education:
-  14 free State Universities
-  One English speaking University
-  More than 120 private specialized schools
-  278,000 students currently enrolled & 92,000 potential candidates for next year
-  Offers a variety of degrees in many fields.
-  Follows the French system: Admission is based on a nationwide centralized baccalaureate examination and other specialized exams

## Morocco

- Studying in the USA
- For 2003/2004: 1296 students enrolled in undergraduate programs and 628 in graduate schools. A decrease of 3.2% from last year (Amideast).
- Prestigious, assures a career, offers specialization in a good quality environment.
- Expensive compared to local private schools tuition.
- Scarce US scholarship programs which are abundant from other countries.

## Morocco

- Most popular fields of study:
- Community college: Fields that would allow access to prestigious U.S. universities. A community college degree is never the final objective of the student.
- Undergraduate level: Business management, computer science, political science, economics, linguistics, arts, social science.
- Graduate Level: MBA, MSIS, engineering, law

## Morocco

- Visa information
- The Consular Service in the US Consulate in Casablanca supports students seeking any degree at a US educational institution (including community colleges), as long as the student demonstrates  good knowledge of the program, adequate skills and could clearly explain his/her choices and objectives. Financial backing is also a requirement.
- In 2003/2004: 477 F1/F2 visas granted. High refusals mainly due to multiple applications by students.

## Morocco

- How to enter the market:
- Join the annual AEM Study USA Fair Sept 21-24
-       Marrakech, Casablanca, Rabat and Ifrane or Tangier
- Become a member of AMIDEAST
- Attend local educational fairs
- Establish partnership programs with local schools
- For more information contact :
-     Commercial Specialist, Thanae Bennani

## TurkeyPresenter: Ms.Ozge Cirika , Commercial Assistant

- Turkish higher education
- There are more than 14 million secondary education students in Turkey who should be considered as prospective university students.
- There are 78 higher education institutions in Turkey
-  In Turkey, admission to higher education is centralized and based on the nationwide examination.
-  Candidates are placed in higher education programs by using two different methods: Central Placement, and selection through a Special Skills Examination

## Turkey

- Turkish higher education (cont’d)
- In 2004, almost two million students took the Student Selection Examination for the Academic Year 2005. However, due to limited quotas, only one-tenth of these students were able to enroll in Turkish Universities.
- Total number of students enrolled in higher education institutions was 1,820,994 in 2003 out of a population of 5,210,000 teenagers at the age of higher education

## Turkey

- Why study in the USA?
- Having access to high quality education and better research opportunities and up to date information
- Good career prospects
-  Developing language skills, a stronger personality and gaining autonomy
-  Quality of scientific information resources and libraries
-  Campuses where students can enjoy a wide range of cultural activities

## Turkey

- Most popular fields of study are:
**Business Administration and Economics: 41% (Especially MBS programs in finance, marketing and international business) **
**Engineering, Computer Science and other technical fields: 19%**
**English as a second language: 11%**
**Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts: 7% (mainly psychology, political sciences, architecture and law)**
**Medicine and other fields: 6%**
**Short term certificate programs and/or summer programs: 8% (mostly in business or ESL)**
**Natural and Physical Sciences: 4%**
**Of the 12,000 Turkish students studying in the U.S. in 2003/4, 58.8% were at the graduate level**

## Turkey

- Visa information
- A student has to apply 6-8 weeks before they intend to travel in case the consular section needs to obtain a clearance
- The average interview takes 3-5 minutes.
- If the student qualifies for the visa, she/he is informed about it during the interview
- The same visa procedure applies for 4 year universities and community colleges

## Turkey

- How to approach this market?
- Participate in AEM Study USA Tour Sep-Oct.2005
- Cooperate with local advisors
- Participate in educational fairs and career days
- Visit local schools
- For more information contact:
- Commercial Assistant, Ozge Cirika

## West Bank/Gaza Presenter: Ms.Salwa Omar, Educational Adviser AMIDEAST Ramallah

- West Bank/Gaza higher education
- The West Bank and Gaza (WB/G) have a population of around 3.9 million and boast one of the highest per capita rates of university graduates in the Arab world
- Palestinians have a long-standing tradition of spending generously on higher education, regarded as an asset
- 38,411 students graduated from WB/G high schools in 2002
- About 18,000 enrolled in local institutions for advanced studies
- In 2003, more than 7,000 Palestinian students in the West Bank and Gaza requested information about studying in the United States.

## West Bank/Gaza

- Why study in the USA?
- Quality of education and degrees that provide better career opportunities
- Wider choice of specializations and flexible educational system
- Experience American way of life
- Family connections, and the presence of a large Palestinian American community

## West Bank/Gaza

- Most popular fields of study are:
- Most popular fields for under-graduate studies are: Business Administration, Computer Science and Technology, Engineering and Pharmacology
- At the graduate level the most popular fields are Business Administration, Chemistry, Education and Civil Engineering
- The majority of Palestinian Students in the U.S. study at the graduate level: 60% graduate students, 40% undergraduate
- In 2003/4, 247 Palestinian students studied in the U.S.

## West Bank/Gaza

- Visa information
- In 2002-2003, 287 Palestinian students received visas and 247 in 2003-2004
- The visa section at the American Consulate General in Jerusalem will issue visas for Palestinian students who have met all the criteria set by the Consulate.
- The Consulate advises would-be students to apply early as the process is time consuming

## West Bank/Gaza

- How to approach this market
- Participate in AEM Study USA Tour Sep-Oct 2005
- Attend educational fairs
- Make presentations and seminars
- Catalogs/posters/brochures made available at CS and Amideast
- For more information contact:
- Commercial Specialist, _[Issa Noursi](mailto:issa.noursi@mail.doc.gov)_

## AEM Study USA Schedule

- September 21, Marrakesh, Morocco
- September 22-23, Casablanca and Rabat, Morocco
- September 24, either Ifrane or Tangier, Morocco
- September 29-30, Tel Aviv, Israel
- October 1, Ramallah, West Bank
- October 3, Amman, Jordan
- October 5, Ankara, Turkey
-  October 7, Izmir, Turkey
- October 11-12, Beirut, Lebanon
- October 14, Cairo, Egypt
- October 15, Alexandria, Egypt

## For More Information & How to Register

- _[http://www.buyusa.gov/easternmed/education.html](http://www.buyusa.gov/easternmed/education.html)_
**Email: alan.wielunski@mail.doc.gov**

- _[www.buyUSA.com](http://www.buyusa.com/page/my_gtn/splash.asp)_

- _[www.export.gov](http://www.export.gov/)_