The United States (U.S.) Embassy in Abuja and the U.S. Consulate General in Lagos at last week, hosted pre-departure orientations for several hundreds of Nigerian students who will soon depart for study in the United States.
A statement made available to Daily Independent on MondaybythePublicAffairsSection of the U.S. Diplomatic Mission toNigeria, said:”Approximately 700 students are benefiting this year from the U.S. Mission’s EducationUSA advising services in Nigeria, including 73 Opportunity Funds recipients.
“EducationUSA is a U.S. Department of State-supported network of over 430 international student advising centers across the world that provide information and guidance on the U.S. higher education admissions process.”
It noted that the EducationUSA’s Opportunity Funds Program assists highly qualified students, who are likely to be awarded full financial aid from U.S. colleges and universities, but lack the financial means to cover their pre-U.S. arrival costs such as application fees, test fees, and international airfare.
“Last year, over 14,000 Nigerian students were enrolled in over 1,000 U.S. higher education institutions. Worldwide, Nigeria is the 10th largest contributor of foreign students to the United States, the statement added.”