Press Release

Commerce Announces Broadcasts of U.S. Electronic Education Fairs for India and China

Television Broadcasts to Highlight Experiences with American Higher Education

WASHINGTON—The U.S. Commerce Department today announced broadcast dates for television programming related to its U.S. Electronic Education Fairs for India and China; a multimedia campaign to promote the breadth and depth of U.S. higher education opportunities to Indian and Chinese students, parents, and advisors. The programming will be shown beginning Dec. 8 on CNBC TV 18 in India and Phoenix TV in China.

“The U.S. is a magnet for innovation and we benefit when others come here for higher education,” said U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez. “International students help drive U.S. innovation and contribute to our economic growth and competitive edge.”

The broadcasts are part of the U.S. Electronic Education Fairs for India and China, a multimedia campaign to promote the breadth and depth of U.S. higher education opportunities to Indian and Chinese students, parents, and advisors. In addition to TV broadcasts, the programs will be available on the initiative’s landing pages at www.LiuXueUSA.cn and www.NamasteStudyUSA.com along with winners of a recent student video contest and other U.S. study information resources.

The multimedia campaign was launched in 2006 in China. This education tool utilizes television, the Internet, and on-ground activities to showcase U.S. higher education opportunities in both markets. With the support of the U.S. Department of State and higher education community, the initial China effort reached more than 180 million Chinese citizens. Data collected from participating institutions in the China programs show a significant increase in Chinese applications.

Success in China led to expansion to India in 2007, with the 18 CNBC TV broadcasts estimated to reach more than 147 million Indians. In all, 60 universities representing 29 States and the District of Columbia have participated in activities related to project implementation in India and China.

The U.S. Electronic Education Fairs initiative is a partnership between the U.S. Department of Commerce, the U.S. Department of State, and the higher education community, and includes a major gift from Educational Testing Service/Test of English as a Foreign Language (ETS). It marks the first time the U.S. government and the higher education community have partnered on such a multimedia campaign to promote U.S. higher education abroad.

The spending of international students’ in the United States is also valued as an important U.S. export. When foreign students study in the U.S.the economic impact is counted as an export. U.S. higher education earned just over $14.5 billion in exports in 2006. According to the Institute of International Education (IIE), 582,984 international students enrolled in U.S. colleges and universities in the 2006/07 academic year. India and China were the top two countries of origin in the same year—India with 83,833 students and China with 67,723.