This week, the Institute of International Education in new york released its annual report on international students in the United States. According to the report, more than 690,000 people attended American colleges and universities in the last academic year.

This figure has reached a record high. This is an increase of 3% over the previous year. But this is mainly the result of a country-China's rapid economic growth. China has surpassed India to become the country that sends the most students to the United States.

Allen Goodman, director of the Institute, said that the economic crisis may limit the growth of other countries.

Goodman: "The growth rate of international students coming to the United States declined last year, which we think reflects the global economic recession. The number of Americans studying abroad has declined slightly. Therefore, we believe that these capital flows are very sensitive to events such as war, revolution, recession and natural disasters. "

With the support of the State Council, the Institute of International Education published a report entitled "Open Door". The latest report is aimed at the school year that ended in June this year.

It is said that China sent more than127,000 students. This is an increase of 30% over the previous year.

India has been the largest exporter for eight consecutive years. But last year, China ranked second, followed by South Korea. Among the largest exporting countries, Japan has the largest decline, with a decrease of 15%.

The University of Southern California in Los Angeles reported the largest number of foreign students for the ninth consecutive year-nearly 8,000.

In the United States, the most popular fields of study for international students are business and management, followed by engineering.

However, the report points out that the program of strengthening English language has dropped by 9%. Allen Goodman said that the reason may be the economic recession. He said that English training is usually the most expensive part for students who are just beginning to learn.

But Mr Goodman points to another area of growth: the number of foreign students at the undergraduate level.

Goodman: "Traditionally, the vast majority of students studying in the United States are at the graduate level. In the past few years, we have begun to see almost the same families interested in sending students here for undergraduate education. I think this will continue because the United States is indeed a unique country. We have 4000 accredited colleges and universities. International students account for only 3% of our total enrollment.

This means there is a lot of room for growth,' he said.

This is the VOA Special English Education Report, written by Lavan Davis. I'm Steve Ember.