IHT: Foreign students contribute 14.6 billion dollars to U.S. economy - by Tamar Lewin

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Foreign students contribute 14.6 billion dollars to U.S. economy - by Tamar Lewin

While foreign students at American colleges and universities are most often singled out for their scientific and cultural contributions, they are an increasingly important economic force as well, according to a new report from the Institute of International Education. In the last school year, the report found, international students' net contribution to the U.S. economy was nearly $14.5 billion - up a billion dollars from the previous year, the largest increase to date.

"These are foreign people buying an American product, and the Department of Commerce says international education is our fifth-largest service export, bigger than medical services," said Allan Goodman, president of the institute. "It's a huge factor in a lot of cities.