USA English language sector grew in 2023 but visa issues slow recovery

The Annual Report on English Language Programs in the USA 2023, the second such study produced by EnglishUSA  and research partners Bonard, is based on the responses of 366 institutions spanning all types of English language provider.

Headline data: There were 97,813 international students enrolled at those institutions in 2023, while 1,042,000 student weeks were delivered, with an average stay of 10.7 weeks.

The average stay was longer for universities at 12.6 weeks, while private language providers had an average stay of 9.1 weeks.

Growth and recovery: For the 190 English language providers that submitted data in both 2022 and 2023 student numbers increased by four per cent, while student weeks rose by only two per cent last year.

The recovery rate for the USA was estimated at 69 per cent, which the authors said was below the global average. Ireland, Malta, Australia and South Africa all exceeded or returned close to pre-Covid numbers in 2023, although the UK and Canada remain between 70 and 80 per cent of 2019 volumes.

Source markets: Japan was the top source country for English language providers in the USA in 2023 with 13,849 students, followed by France (6,759 students). The top five was completed by Brazil (6,219), China (5,845) and Italy (4,653).

Referring to schools that provided data in both reports, Japan had year-on-year growth of 10 per cent in student numbers but was one of only five top ten markets that registered an increase.

The largest year-on-year growth among the top 20 markets came from Taiwan (+183 per cent), followed by China (+20), Poland (+15) and Brazil (+14).

However, there were double-digit decreases from major source countries such as Colombia (-37 per cent), Mexico (-19), Ecuador (-21), Switzerland (-25) and Germany (-20).

Student visas hampering growth: Dr Ivana Bartosik, BONARD’s International Education Director, said, “Several key source markets, such as Brazil, Türkiye and Colombia, did not reach their growth potential because of visa denials.”

The average visa refusal rate in 2023 was 24 per cent, according to the ELPs participating in the research. The most affected programs were community college-governed providers, with a 27 per cent refusal rate, followed by university providers (26 per cent).

India had the largest number of reported visa refusals among respondents at 1,181, followed by Brazil (994), Türkiye (862), Colombia (411) and China (253).

Daryl Bish, EnglishUSA President, said, “Survey participants called for better communication and increased transparency around visa denials. Understanding the specific reasons why visas are rejected can help programs provide better support for students and address shortcomings in future applications.”

Student visa denials was the most pressing challenge of 2023, cited by 64 per cent of respondents, while 55 per cent said low enrolments affected recruitment budgets, 34 per cent mentioned difficulties in hiring and retaining staff, and 32 per cent said visa processing times were a major issue.

Recruitment channels: Direct enrolment through institutions was the most common method, accounting for 62 per cent of students in 2023, while 23 per cent of students were recruited through agents, a slightly higher ratio than the previous year’s report. Smaller numbers of students came via institutional partnerships and government scholarships.

College-governed English language providers had the highest rate of agency recruitment at 58 per cent, while private language schools sourced 26 per cent of their students through agents last year.

Student profile: The junior segment accounted for 19 per cent of students in 2023, and among schools that participated in the 2022 and 2023 research there was a 55 per cent increase in junior students. California was the top host state for junior students.

More than half of the students enrolled in 2023 were in F-1 visas, while 19 per cent were ESTA visa-free visitors, and eight per cent came on a B-1/B-2 visitor visa. The authors noted that there was a larger share of students in 2023 that did not need a visa (including ESTA recipients, US citizens and residents), which they said was driven by an increase in Japanese, Korean and Italian visitors.

Course type: General/Intensive English programs accounted for 55 per cent of students in 2023, followed by short-term summer/winter courses of less than four weeks (26 per cent), and English for Academic Purposes (13).

Enrolment by institution type: Private language providers taught 62 per cent of students counted in the 2023 survey, followed by university-governed providers (24), community college-governed schools (nine), college-governed (four).

New York was the largest host state with 27,966 students, followed by California (23,232), Florida (8,174), Massachusetts (7,364) and Hawaii (3,267).

Value of the sector: The authors said the direct economic contribution of the international students at the participating institutions was $1.2 billion and estimated that the contribution for the whole English language sector in the USA exceeded $1.7 billion.

International students spent an average of $348 per week on tuition and $746 on additional expenses, including accommodation, food and transportation, they calculated.

Commenting on the report, Cheryl Delk-Le Good , Executive Director of EnglishUSA, said it revealed crucial insights and the need for reliable and timely data.

“This year, 366 ELPs took part in this research project, 77 more than in 2022. This demonstrates a substantial demand for data to understand English language student preferences and refine student recruitment processes accordingly.”

Data collection for the report was partly funded by the International Trade Administration’s Market Development Cooperator Program (MDCP) grant that EnglishUSA received in October 2022, and this year’s report was also co-sponsored by Pearson PTE .

EnglishUSA dates back to 1986 and represents more than 220 accredited English language programs across the country.