Losing the World’s Authors:

Vivek Wadhwa

Best and Brightest: AnnaLee Saxenian

Richard Freeman

America’s New Immigrant Entrepreneurs, Part V Alex Salkever

Losing the World’s Best and Brightest

March 2009
i
 Authors
Vivek Wadhwa
Executive in Residence
Pratt School of Engineering, Duke University
Senior Research Associate
Labor & Worklife Program, Harvard Law School

AnnaLee Saxenian
Dean and Professor
School of Information
University of California, Berkeley

Richard Freeman
Herbert Asherman Chair in Economics, Harvard University
Director, Labor and Worklife Program, Harvard Law School
Director, Labor Studies Program, National Bureau of Economic Research

Alex Salkever
Visiting Researcher
Masters of Engineering Management Program
Pratt School of Engineering, Duke University

Special thanks
Gary Gereffi, Mike Hensen, Bob Litan, E.J. Reedy, Ben Rissing, John Trumpbour

Student researchers
Karna Vishwas, Brian Hilgeford,
Sameer Dash, Aniket Patil, Aishwarya Alladi

This research was funded in part by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.
The contents of this publication are solely the responsibility of the authors.

Losing the World’s Best and Brightest

ii
 Contents

Introduction and overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Our findings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Few want to stay permanently . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Most are worried about visas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Where do they think the jobs and opportunities are? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Was the U.S. as they had expected? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
High overall opinion of American education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Students would recommend American education to their friends, so what is stopping their friends from coming? . . . . . . . 4
Why did students who were leaving the U.S. make this decision? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Entrepreneurial aspirations, but not in the U.S. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Conclusions and interpretation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Methodology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Characteristics of respondents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Figure 1: Area of study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Figure 2: Level of degree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Figure 3: Expected date of graduation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Figure 4: Number of years living in the U.S. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Detailed findings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Intentions to stay after graduation, and concerns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Figure 5: Would you stay after graduation if given a choice? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Figure 6: For how many years would you like to stay in the U.S. after graduation? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Concerns about jobs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Figure 7: how difficult will it be for you to find a job in your field in the U.S.? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Concerns about work visas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Figure 8: How concerned are you about obtaining a work visa after graduation? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Obtaining permanent residency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Figure 9: How concerned are you about obtaining permanent residency in the U.S. ? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Perceptions about U.S. opportunities, education system, and economic future . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
How did the U.S. stack up against expectations? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Figure 10: Has your view of the U.S. changed since coming here? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Where are the opportunities? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Figure 11: Country perceived as having the best job opportunities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Which economy has a better future? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Figure 12: Foreign national student perceptions: best days of U.S. economy behind or ahead? . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Figure 13: Foreign national student perceptions: best days of home country’s economy behind or ahead? . . . . . . . 12

Losing the World’s Best and Brightest

iii
 Where will the most innovative products be created in the future? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Figure 14: Chinese responses: Which economy do you think will generate the most innovative
products and services over the next… . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Figure 15: European responses: Which economy do you think will generate the most innovative
products and services over the next… . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Figure 16: Indian responses: Which economy do you think will generate the most innovative
products and services over the next… . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Comparisons of education systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Figure 17: How does the U.S. education system compare with your home country’s education systems? . . . . . . . . 13
Advising friends: studying in the U.S. still a highly valued experience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Figure 18: Would you advise friends in home country to study in the U.S.? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Figure 19: Number of friends in home country wishing to study in the U.S. but unable to . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Reasons for leaving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Figure 20: How did the following factors contribute to your decision to leave the U.S.? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Entrepreneurial intentions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Figure 21: How interested are you in starting a business some day? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Figure 22: Timeframe for starting a business (if interested in starting a business) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Figure 23: Likely location of business startup (if interested in starting a business) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Figure 24: key problems faced by friends seeking to come to the U.S. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Losing the World’s Best and Brightest

iv
 Introduction and overview
Foreign national students have come to the United
States to study in increasing numbers and have
participated in some of the most advanced academic
research efforts to date, lending enormous brainpower
to the development of technological and scientific
innovations that benefitted America. The students
were drawn to the United States by the country’s
highly vaunted academic research institutions and
enormous budgets for funding basic and applied
research.
U.S. foreign national students have focused in
particular on the science, technology, engineering,
and mathematics (STEM) fields. In these fields,
they have had disproportionate representation.
According to statistics collected by the National
Science Foundation,1 foreign students received
nearly 60 percent of all engineering doctorates
awarded in the U.S. and over 50 percent of all
doctorates in engineering, mathematics, computer
sciences, physics, and economics. Foreign students
also received over 40 percent of all doctorates in
agricultural sciences, a field of growing importance
today.
Foreign enrollments in STEM fields are also
growing quickly. According to data from the Bureau
of Citizenship and Immigration Services, from April
2006 to April 2007, foreign enrollment in science and
engineering fields grew by 8 percent. The growth was
concentrated in computer sciences (up by 14 percent)
and engineering (up by 10 percent). In April 2007, 70
percent of the 66,500 Indian foreign graduate students
in the U.S. were pursuing science or engineering.
There were 48,300 foreign graduate students from
China enrolled in U.S. institutions, with 67 percent
1 http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/seind08/c2/c2s5.htm
2 Ibid.
3 Chellaraj, Gnanaraj, Maskus, Keith E. and Mattoo, Aaditya, The Contribution of International Graduate Students to U.S. Innovation. Review of International Economics,
Vol. 16, Issue 3, pp. 444-462, August 2008. Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1158794 or DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9396.2007.00714.x
4 National Science Foundation, Division of Science Resources Statistics. 2007. Asia’s Rising Science and Technology Strength: Comparative Indicators for Asia, the
European Union, and the United States. NSF 07-319. Arlington, VA.
5 http://orise.orau.gov/sep/files/stayrate07.pdf
Losing the World’s Best and Brightest
1
in science and engineering fields.2 After declining
briefly in the period following 9/11, when visa
standards were tightened, the total foreign student
enrollment in U.S. universities has resumed a rapid
rate of increase. While studying, foreign national
graduate students have contributed significantly
to innovation and patent applications. According
to research by Chellaraj, Maskus, and Mattoo, a 10
percent increase in the number of foreign graduate
students would raise patent applications by 4.5
percent, university-patent grants by 6.8 percent, and
non-university patent grants by 5.0 percent.3
Those who have stayed have comprised a rising
percentage of the U.S. science and engineering
workforce. According to research by the National
Science Foundation, between 1990 and 2000 the
number of individuals with college degrees (bachelor’s
or higher) born in Asia who were employed in science
and engineering occupations in the United States rose
from approximately 141,000 to 460,000.4
Upon completion of their studies, significant
numbers of foreign students have traditionally
chosen to remain in the U.S. to work full-time or
pursue post-doctoral work. According to research
by Michael Finn,5 two-thirds of foreign citizens who
received science/engineering doctorates from U.S.
universities in 2003 lived in the United States in 2005.
The five-year stay rates for Chinese and Indians was
much higher: 92 percent and 85 percent respectively.
More recently, as the economies of the developing
world have grown rapidly and Western economies
have grown less quickly, anecdotal evidence has
begun to suggest that fewer foreign national students
wish to stay in the U.S. after graduation. Reports in
INTRODUCTION

the popular press6,7 and elsewhere have suggested
that many of these students now believe that greater
opportunities exist elsewhere in the world.8 To
date, there has been very little empirical research,
aside from the NSF surveys, into the postgraduate
intentions of foreign nationals, and into the decisive
factors in their decisions either to seek to stay in the
U.S. or to move abroad. This paper attempts to fill
some of this void.
The survey reported here was conducted
in October 2008 via the social-networking site
Facebook. Members of this site were asked to
introduce team members to their foreign student
friends, and those who referred the most students
who completed our survey were awarded prizes.
This paper is based on responses from 1,224 foreign
nationals who are currently studying in institutions
of higher learning in the United States or who had
graduated by the end of the 2008 academic school
year. The survey respondents comprise 229 students
from China (and Hong Kong), 117 students from
Western Europe, and 878 students from India.
This survey was not conducted by random means,
and the responses we received are not representative
of the relative student populations of their
nationalities. This study also was not longitudinal and
is only a snapshot of current intentions. It should be
noted that this survey occurred during a period when
the U.S. economy was clearly deteriorating and the
political leadership of the U.S had become unpopular
both at home and abroad. This context may have
affected responses. Clearly, many of the questions
asked on this survey require longer-term analysis and
thinking. Regardless, the information culled from
this survey appears to be of significance.

6 “Students in overseas business schools look to India placements”, Livemint.com/WSJ.com, January 27,2009, (http://www.livemint.com/2009/01/27002136/Students-in-
overseas-business.html?h=A1)
7 ‘Brain gain’ for India as elite return”, The Observer, Sunday 20 April 2008 (http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/apr/20/india.globaleconomy?gusrc=rss&feed=networkf
ront)
8 A. Saxenian, Y. Motoyama, and X. Quan “Local and Global Networks of Immigrant Professionals in Silicon Valley” Public Policy Institute of California, 2002.

Losing the World’s Best and Brightest

2
 Our findings
Here is what we learned about the sample of foreign
students who responded to our survey:
Few want to stay permanently
Very few would like to stay in the U.S. permanently—
only 6 percent of Indian, 10 percent of Chinese, and
15 percent of European students. Many students
would like to stay for a few years after graduation if
given a choice—58 percent of Indians, 54 percent of
Chinese, and 40 percent of Europeans. But 30 percent
of Indians, 36 percent of Chinese, and 39 percent of
Europeans are undecided.
The largest group of respondents wants to return
home within five years—55 percent of Indian, 40
percent of Chinese, and 30 percent of European
students. Additionally, 16 percent of Indians, 13
percent of Chinese, and 12 percent of Europeans
would like to stay for six to 10 years.
Most are worried about visas
The vast majority of foreign students, and 85 percent
of Indians and Chinese and 72 percent of Europeans
are concerned about obtaining work visas. Seventy-
four percent of Indians, 76 percent of Chinese, and
58 percent of Europeans are also worried about
obtaining jobs in their fields.
Students appear to be less concerned about
getting permanent-resident visas than they are about
short-term jobs. Only 38 percent of Indian students,
55 percent of Chinese, and 53 percent of Europeans
expressed concerns about obtaining permanent
residency in the U.S.
Losing the World’s Best and Brightest
3
Where do they think the jobs and opportunities
are?
Chinese students in particular strongly feel that the
best job opportunities lie in their home country—52
percent of them, as do 32 percent of Indian
respondents and 26 percent of Europeans ones. This
contrasts starkly with the beliefs of most skilled
immigrants in the 1980s and 1990s that the best
opportunities were in the U.S.
Only seven percent of Chinese students, nine
percent of European students, and 25 percent of
Indian students stated that they believe the best days
of the U.S. economy lie ahead. Conversely, 74 percent
of Chinese students and 86 percent of Indian students
stated that the best days for their home country’s
economy lie ahead.
Indians are the most positive on the economic
future of their home country and are less than one-
third as likely to see the economic future of their
home country as negative as Chinese students are to
view their own that way.
Was the U.S. as they had expected?
Foreign students found the American people to be
friendlier than they had expected. On a scale of one
to five—five being much better than expected and
one being much worse than expected—Chinese,
European, and Indian students on average rated
their U.S. experience with regard to friendliness of
Americans as 3.2, 3.7, and 3.6 respectively.
Indian students thought that the quality of life in
the U.S. was somewhat better than they had expected,
FINDINGS
and Europeans thought it was slightly worse. Chinese
students rated it as a 2.9, European students as a 2.8,
and Indian students as a 3.3.
On the other two measures—opportunities to
start a business and opportunities for immigrant
success—foreign students stated their experience in
the U.S. was slightly worse than they had expected,
the Chinese recording the lowest responses and the
Europeans the highest.
High overall opinion of American education
All nationalities thought that American education
quality was better than in their home countries. On
a scale of one (the U.S. is a lot worse) to five (the U.S.
is a lot better), on average, Indians gave education
quality a comparison rating of 4.2; Chinese, 4.3; and
Europeans, 3.6.
Comparing U.S. and home-country teaching
of independent thinking, Chinese, Europeans, and
Indians gave averages of 4.3, 3.3, and 4.3 respectively.
With regard to preparing one to enter the
workforce in their country, Chinese, Europeans, and
Indians gave average comparison ratings of 3.7, 3.1,
and 3.8 respectively; and with regard to preparing
them to enter the workforce in the U.S., average
ratings of 4.1, 4.0, and 4.0 respectively.
Indian and Chinese students said on average
that U.S. education offered better value for money
than the education in their home countries (average
comparison ratings, 3.3 each), and Europeans thought
it offered somewhat worse (2.6).
Students would recommend American education
to their friends, so what is stopping their friends
from coming?
Seventy-one percent of Chinese, 75 percent of
Europeans, and 70 percent of Indians would definitely
advise friends to study in the U.S.
Losing the World’s Best and Brightest
4
Chinese and Indian students indicated that they had
large numbers of friends who would like to come
and study in the U.S but couldn’t. Sixty-one percent
of Chinese respondents had three or more friends
who would like to come but couldn’t. Of Indian
respondents, 53 percent had three or more friends
who would like to study in the U.S. but couldn’t.
Europeans had a lesser percentage.
The strongest barrier cited by respondents as
preventing friends from coming to the U.S. is lack of
funding or scholarships. Visa problems and lack of
proper academic credentials were the least-important
barriers cited.
Why did students who were leaving the U.S.
make this decision?
The strongest reason students cited for leaving the
United States was the desire to be with friends and
families at home. The second-most important factor
was a perception that economic opportunities in
the home country were better. The least-important
factor cited of those provided in the survey was
discrimination, followed by the difficulty of getting a
visa to stay in the U.S. and availability of jobs in the
U.S. This was consistent with our previous findings
of why experienced, skilled workers had returned to
India and China.
Entrepreneurial aspirations, but not in the U.S.
Seventy-four percent of Indian, 77 percent of
European, and 71 percent of Chinese students
indicated that they wished to start a business within
the next decade. Of Indian and Chinese students
wishing to start a business at some time, the majority
(53 percent and 55 percent respectively) hoped to do
so in their home countries, whereas only 35 percent
of corresponding European students wished to start
their business in their home country.
 Conclusions and interpretation
Foreign national students in our sample are planning
to leave the U.S. after graduation in numbers that
appear to be higher than the historical norm as
measured in STEM disciplines. A significant
percentage of these students also say they intend to
open businesses in the future. This expressed intent,
prevalent among Indian and Chinese nationals
currently studying in the U.S., appears to be in
marked contrast with the recent past, when Chinese
and Indian degree holders were very likely to stay in
the U.S. and continue working or researching (even
more so in the PhD ranks).
Should their intentions turn into actions,
the departure of these foreign nationals could
represent a significant loss for the U.S. science and
engineering workforce, in which such immigrants
have played increasingly larger roles over the past
three decades. Foreign nationals are also represented
disproportionately among the ranks of founding
executives at technology firms around the U.S. Key
impetuses for their intention to depart are the fear
that they will not be able to find a job in this country
upon graduation and their growing belief that the
economy of the U.S. will shortly lag behind global
growth rates. Many of these foreign nationals are also
very worried about obtaining the work visas required
to pursue employment in the U.S. and about the
difficulties of obtaining permanent residency.
In her book The New Argonauts,9 A. Saxenian
notes that the loss of talented entrepreneurs and
researchers to their home countries is not necessarily
a zero-sum game. These entrepreneurial pioneers
may leave U.S. soil, but they often maintain networks
of contacts inside the U.S. and return regularly
to use specialized services, to found companies,
9 AnnaLee Saxenian. The New Argonauts: Regional Advantage in a Global Economy. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 2006. 424 pp. ISBN 0-674-02201-7
Losing the World’s Best and Brightest
5
to underwrite key research, and, perhaps most
importantly, to provide expert insights into the inner
workings of their home countries. It is unclear,
however, at what point a brain circulation becomes
a reverse brain drain. It is troubling that these
students expressed so much pessimism about the
future of the U.S. Whilst this is hardly a completely
representative sample, the sample size is large enough
to confer significant validity on the trends indicated
in responses.
From this survey, however, it seems clear that
the U.S. higher-education system remains highly
regarded. Nearly three-quarters of Europeans,
Chinese, and Indians indicated that they would
advise friends to study in the U.S. Almost as many
respondents stated they had one or more friends who
would like to study in the U.S. but had been unable
to. The double-digit increases in foreign students
matriculating here suggest that the supply of talented
foreign nationals coursing through academe is
unlikely to abate. At the same, roughly one-fifth of
all foreign students who plan to open businesses also
plan to do so in the U.S. Should the U.S. economy
rebound or, alternatively, their home economies
considerably weaken, the U.S. may become a more
palatable long-term option.
Better job prospects, looser visa restrictions, and a
U.S. economic rebound could all prove to be attractive
to would-be entrepreneurs holding newly minted
sheepskins. Adding incentive programs to encourage
foreign-immigrant entrepreneurship—perhaps
pairing fast-track residency status with launching of
companies—could go a long way toward ensuring
that those who want to stay and start companies can
do so.
 Methodology
This survey was conducted during the month of
October 2008 through social networking website
Facebook. Members were asked to invite their
friends who are foreign students currently studying in
institutions of higher learning in the United States or
who had graduated by the end of the 2008 academic
school year to complete our survey. When a friend
did complete a survey, the member who referred
the friend was given points. Those with the highest
points were awarded prizes.
The survey was administered on line. We required
each respondent to provide an e-mail address, which
we matched with our lists of e-mails sent to check
the validity of the response. We also validated that
the respondent were foreign studens by checking
their Facebook profiles or by asking them to provide
university e-mail addresses. We asked the subjects
a series of questions covering a variety of topics,
including their intended academic degree, their
intentions upon graduating from their current
program, the effects of visa and residency concerns
upon their impending decisions to stay or leave, their
Losing the World’s Best and Brightest
6
feelings about prospects for growth in the U.S. and
abroad, and their impressions of the higher-education
system in the U.S.
Questions were asked in multiple-choice, ratings-
scale, text-box, and open-ended formats. Response
level varied from question to question. Some
questions were mandatory, the respondent being
unable to proceed with the survey unless the question
was answered. The remainder were optional.
In total, we received 1,957 responses from students
of a large assortment of nationalities. The analysis
in this paper is based on responses from the largest
groups who took our survey—1,224 students from
India (878 responses), China and Hong Kong (229
responses), and Western Europe (117 responses).
This survey was not conducted by random means,
and the relative numbers of responses from various
nationalities is not representative of the student
populations of those nationalities, and our findings
may not generalize to all foreign students. They do
provide insights into the views of a fairly large sample
of foreign students.
 Characteristics of respondents
Figure 2
The average age of Chinese respondents was 24. The Level of degree
areas of study most popular among Chinese students 0.9%
Other 3.4%
were engineering (25.8 percent), business and 2.2%

economics (21.4 percent), and biological sciences (9.2 Postdoc/Researcher

1.1%
20.5%
3.5%
percent). The average age of European respondents 13.0% Indians
PhD 25.6%
was 26. The most popular areas of studies among 30.6%
Europeans
European students were business and economics MD
0.1%
0.9% Chinese
0.0%
(17.9 percent), engineering (17.1 percent), and 0.0%
JD 0.0%
biological sciences (17.1 percent). The average age of 0.4%

Indian respondents was 24. The areas of study most Masters 27.4%
78.0%
24.9%
popular among Indian students were engineering 6.8%
Bachelors 22.2%
(51.1 percent), computer science (16.9 percent) and 38.4%

biological sciences (6.4 percent). Indian students

were concentrated in engineering, computer science, Figure 3
biological sciences and business and economics fields. Expected date of graduation
Chinese and European respondents were fairly evenly
1.1%
distributed between Bachelors, Masters, and PhD Don't know 4.3%
3.1%

degree tracks. Indian students were primarily (78.1 2014 or later

0.1%
0.9%
2.2%
percent) pursuing Masters degree tracks, with a small Indians
1.1%
but significant number also pursuing PhD tracks. The 2013 3.4%
7.9% Europeans

majority of students in all three ethnic groups intend 2012

3.9%
6.0% Chinese
13.5%
to graduate within the next five years.
4.8%
2011 12.0%
14.0%

22.4%
Figure 1 2010 19.7%
19.7%
Area of study 39.3%
2009 40.2%
30.1%

16.2% 19.4%
Computer science 4.3% 12/01/2008 6.0%
4.8%
4.8%
Graduated in May/June 7.9%
7.7%
0.7% 2008 4.8%
Physics 1.7%
4.4%

51.1%
Engineering 17.1%
25.8%

0.3% Indians
Chemistry 2.6%
4.4%
Europeans
Business & 4.9%
17.9% Chinese
economics 21.4%

6.4%
Biological sciences 17.1%
9.2%

Losing the World’s Best and Brightest

7
METHODOLOGY

Figure 4
Number of years living in the U.S.

0.5%
10 or more 2.6%
0.0%

0.3%
9 1.7%
1.3%

0.6%
8 1.7%
2.2% Indians

1.1%
7 0.9% Europeans
1.3%

1.4% Chinese
6 0.9%
2.2%

1.9%
5 6.0%
7.0%

3.4%
4 11.1%
4.8%

6.9%
3 13.7%
9.2%

25.8%
2 20.5%
21.0%

58.1%
1 or less 41.0%
51.1%

Losing the World’s Best and Brightest

8
 Detailed findings

Intentions to stay after graduation, and Figure 6

For how many years would you like to stay in the U.S.
concerns
after graduation?
Chinese and Indian students showed a significant 20.4%
Don't know
preference to stay in the U.S. after graduation if 33.0%
40.2%

given a chance. Among these groups, 54.3 percent of 5.8%

Permanently 14.9%
Chinese and 57.8 percent of Indian students said they 9.5%

would like to remain. Of European respondents, 39.5 11 or more years

3.2%
3.4%
percent said they would like to stay. Only 9.9 percent 5.0% Indians

of Chinese and 11.8 percent of Indian students 6-10 years

15.9%
11.5%
Europeans

12.5% Chinese
stated that they did not wish to remain in the U.S
54.9%
after graduation; 21.9 percent of European students 1-5 years 29.9%
40.0%
indicated they did not wish to remain. The remainder
were unsure.
Concerns about jobs
Figure 5
Would you stay after graduation if given a choice? Respondents expressed significant concerns that,
should they chose to try to remain in the U.S., they
Indians
Europeans
would have difficulty finding a job. Seventy-six
Chinese percent of Chinese students stated that it would be
difficult to find a job in their field in the U.S. Of
European respondents, 68.9 percent agreed that
57.8%
38.6% it would be difficult. Of Indian respondents, 83.9
54.3%
percent stated that it would be difficult.
35.9%
39.5% 21.9%
30.4%
Figure 7
11.8%
9.9% How difficult will it be for you to find a job in your field
in the U.S.?
Yes No Unsure
2.1%
Not at all difficult 3.4% Indians
1.5%
Europeans
Survey respondents do not intend to remain in the 14.2% Chinese
U.S. for very long after graduation, however, the Not very difficult 27.6%
22.5%

largest proportion intending to leave within five years 51.5%

Somewhat difficult 49.4%
of graduation. Forty percent of Chinese students, 50.0%

54.9 percent of Indian students, and 29.9 percent of Very difficult

24.3%
16.1%
European students intended to stay five years or less. 22.5%

It is notable, however, that there remains significant Extremely difficult

8.1%
3.4%
3.5%
uncertainty on this question: a considerable
percentage of respondents stated that they were
unsure when they would return home.

Losing the World’s Best and Brightest

9
DETAILED FINDINGS

Concerns about work visas

Figure 9
Respondents expressed serious concerns about How concerned are you about obtaining permanent
obtaining work visas after graduation: of Chinese residency in the U.S.?
respondents, 85 percent; of European respondents, 9.9%
Don't want a green card 10.3%
72.4 percent; and of Indian respondents, 85.1 percent. 1.5% Indians
7.5% Europeans
Don't know 3.4%
5.0% Chinese

Figure 8 Not at all concerned

14.2%
9.2%
How concerned are you about obtaining a work visa 4.5%
31.5%
after graduation? Not Very concerned 24.1%
24.0%

1.5% 21.4%
Don't know 2.3% Somewhat concerned 24.1%
2.0% Indians 37.5%
Europeans 9.4%
3.0% Very concerned 17.2%
Not at all concerned 2.3% Chinese 16.5%
3.0%
6.2%
10.6% Extremely concerned 11.5%
Not very concerned 23.0% 11.0%
10.0%

33.6%
Somewhat concerned 27.6%
38.0%

Very concerned
32.8%
27.6%
Perceptions about U.S. opportunities,
33.0%
education system, and economic future
18.7%
Extremely concerned 17.2%
14.0%

How did the U.S. stack up against expectations?

Obtaining permanent residency
Students had greater short-term concerns about
jobs and work visas than about permanent-resident
visas. Of Indian respondents, 37 percent stated that
they were concerned about obtaining permanent
residency in the U.S. Of the Chinese respondents, 65
percent stated they were; of European respondents,
52.8 percent stated that they were. Conversely, 55.6
percent of Indian students stated they were not very
or not at all concerned about obtaining permanent
residency in the U.S.
Spending time in the U.S. studying resulted in only
minor changes in perceptions, overall. The only
clear area where the U.S. exceeded expectations was
with regard to friendliness of the American people.
Indian and European respondents, in particular, said
taht the U.S. was considerably friendlier than they
had expected. This was also true, to a lesser degree,
quality of life. Indian respondents, in particular, felt
that quality of life in the U.S. was somewhat better
than they had expected. In no area was experience in
the U.S. appreciably worse than expectations, and in
most it was very slightly better.

Losing the World’s Best and Brightest

10
 DETAILED FINDINGS

Which economy has a better future?

Figure 10
Has your view of the U.S. changed since coming
here?
Quality of life
2.7
Opportunities to start a business
2.5
Opportunities for immigrants to
achieve success
2.5
Friendliness/helpfulness of American
people
(1 = much worse than expected, 5= much better than expected)
Where are the opportunities?
Of Chinese respondents, 51.6 percent perceived their
home country as having the best job opportunities.
Of Europeans respondents, 26.3 percent perceived
their home country as having the best; of Indians,
32.1 percent perceived their home country as having
the best. Only 26.5 percent of Chinese students
agreed that the best job opportunities could be found
in the U.S., but of Europeans, 46.5 percent agreed that
the best job opportunities could be found in the U.S.,
and of Indians, 47.2 percent did. It is noteworthy that
fewer than 50 percent of members of all three groups
perceived the U.S. to have the best job opportunities.
The respondents generally believed that the U.S.
economy will not continue to grow at its historical
pace and that the economies of their home countries
2.8
3.3
would grow faster. Amongst the respondents, 51.4
2.9
percent of Chinese students, 54.9 percent of European
students and 37.5 percent of Indian students stated
2.9
Indians they believed the best days of the U.S. economy lay
Europeans
2.9 Chinese
in the past. Only 7.2 percent of Chinese students
2.9
and 8.8 percent of European students stated that they
believe the best days of the U.S. economy are in the
3.6
3.7 future. Indian students were less pessimistic, with
3.2
24.8 percent stating they believe the U.S. economy
will grow even faster in the future and its best days
are still to come. Indian and Chinese students were
far more optimistic about the future of their home
country’s economy than were European students.
Seventy-four percent of Chinese students and 85.8
percent of Indian students agreed that their home
country’s economy would grow even faster in the
future than it had in the past decade. Amongst
European respondents, only 21.2 percent agreed that
their home country’s economy would grow faster in
the future than it had in the past decade.
Figure 12
Foreign national student perceptions: best days of
U.S. economy behind or ahead?

19.1%
Not Sure 15.9% Indians
Figure 11 18.5% Europeans

Country perceived as having the best job Chinese

18.6%
opportunities Same -- things will remain
the same
20.4%
23.0%

16.1% 24.8%
Ahead -- the U.S. will grow
Don't know 16.7% Indians even faster
8.8%
7.2%
21.1% Europeans
Chinese Behind -- the U.S. will not 37.5%
4.6% continue to grow as it has 54.9%
Other country 10.5% historically 51.4%
0.9%

32.1%
Home country 26.3%
51.6%

47.2%
U.S. 46.5%
26.5%

Losing the World’s Best and Brightest

11
DETAILED FINDINGS

Figure 13 Figure 15
Foreign national student perceptions: best days of European responses: Which economy do you think
home country’s economy behind or ahead? will generate the most innovative products and
services over the next…
4.5%
Not Sure 7.1% Indians
13.0%
4.9% Europeans Other 4.6% 50 years
2.7%
Chinese 25 years
Same -- growth will 7.6% 5.6%
continue at the same 39.8% Germany 4.6% 10 years
pace as the last 10 years
8.1%
14.3%
7.4%
Ahead -- my home Japan 13.8%
85.8% 18.9%
country will grow even
21.2%
faster than it has been
74.0% 25.9%
growing over the last… India 21.1%
Behind -- my home
4.5%
2.1%
country will not
31.9% 30.6%
continue to grow as fast China 35.8%
6.7% 16.2%
as it has over the last…

17.6%
U.S. 20.2%
49.5%

Where will the most innovative products

be created in the future? Figure 16
Indian responses: Which economy do you think will
Respondents from both India and China conclusively generate the most innovative products and services
stated that they expect that the generation of over the next…
innovative products and services in their home other
5.0%
0.7% 50 years
countries will increase during the next quarter 0.1%
25 years
2.8%
century at a much faster pace than in the U.S. Germany 2.1%
2.0%
10 years

Europeans feel that innovation will also shift to China 3.8%

Japan 6.1%
and India, but they give China a slight lead in that 12.6%

regard. India 53.9%

69.3%
17.4%

10.4%
China 25.2%
Figure 14 30.9%
Chinese responses: Which economy do you think will 8.7%
U.S. 12.0%
generate the most innovative products and services 36.9%
over the next…

Other
2.9%
1.4% 50 years Comparisons of education systems
0.5%
25 years

Germany
2.4%
1.9% 10 years
To the respondents, the U.S. education system
0.5%
compared extremely favorably with those of their
2.9%
Japan 13.9%
10.0%
home countries. On not a single measure did the
5.7%
education comparison rating score below 2.5 on
India 5.6%
0.5% a scale of one to five, and only in one instance did
China 44.4%
71.0% ratings drop below 3 (for European respondents
22.8%
on “value for the money”). Indians and Chinese,
15.2%
U.S. 32.9%
65.8%
in particular, found the U.S. much better than

Losing the World’s Best and Brightest

12
 DETAILED FINDINGS

their home countries’ systems in terms of teaching 84.4 percent had one or more friends wishing to the
independent thought, overall quality, preparing study in the U.S. but unable to, and 17.6 percent of
for entry into the U.S. workforce, and, surprisingly, respondents had 10 or more. Only 60.2 percent of
preparing graduates for entry into the home country’s European respondents have one or more friends who
workforce. The one area where the U.S. was less wish to come study in the U.S. but are unable to, and
successful in this regard was value, which likely only 10.2 percent have 10 or more.
reflects the stiff price of collegiate and graduate
education programs in the U.S. Europeans were Figure 18
less positive than Indians or Chinese but were still Would you advise friends in home country to study in
decidedly positive about a U.S. education on a the U.S.?
comparative basis.

Indians
Figure 17
Europeans
How does the U.S. education system compare with
Chinese
your home country’s education systems? 75.0%

71.4%
4.3 69.5%
Teaching you how to think independently 3.3
4.3

Preparing you for entering the workforce in 3.8

3.1
your home country 3.7 25.5%
21.2%
Preparing you for entering the workforce in 4.0
the U.S.
4.0 18.5%
4.1 9.3%
Indians
6.5%
Value for money
3.3
Europeans
3.2%
2.6
3.3 Chinese
Yes No Maybe
4.2
Quality 3.6
4.3

(1 = U.S. much worse, 5 = U.S. much better)

Figure 19
Number of friends in home country wishing to study in
the U.S. but unable to
Advising friends: studying in the U.S. still a
highly valued experience 17.6%
Indians
More than 10 10.2%
22.7% Europeans
Respondents indicated that they would Chinese
35.3%
overwhelmingly advise friends in their home 3 to 10 20.4%
40.3%
countries to study in the U.S. if possible. Amongst
respondents, 71.4 percent of Chinese, 75 percent 31.5%
1 or 2 29.6%
of Europeans, and 69.5 percent of Indians would 31.5%

advise friends to study in the U.S. Most respondents 15.6%

had significant numbers of friends in their home None
5.6%
39.8%

countries who wish to study in the U.S. but are unable

to. Of Chinese respondents, 94.4 percent had one
or more friends in wishing to study in the U.S., and
22.7 percent had 10 or more. Of Indian respondents,

Losing the World’s Best and Brightest

13
DETAILED FINDINGS

Reasons for leaving

Out of the total sample, 240 students responded to percent; and of Indian respondents, 56 percent.
questions about why they had decided to leave the Only a small percentage of respondents have
U.S. The relatively low percentage responding of actually started their own business. The majority of
the total sample is likely due to the fact that many respondents that expressed interest in launching a
of the students had not yet left and were undecided. business planned to do so within the next decade: of
Regardless, the responses from this sample were Chinese respondents, 71.2 percent plan; of European
instructive. respondents, 77.2 percent; and of Indian respondents,
The respondents rated on average the desire to be 74 percent. Respondents appeared to be more
with family and friends in their home countries as inclined to launch a business in their home country
the most important factor in a decision to leave the than in the U.S. Of Chinese respondents interested
U.S. No other factor rated above 3.5 on the five-point in starting a business, 52.5 percent indicated they
scale. Most notable, discrimination was cited as the would be more likely to start a business in their home
least-important reason to depart. country; of European respondents, 34.6 percent; and
of Indian respondents, 54.7 percent.
Figure 20
How did the following factors contribute to your Figure 21
decision to leave the U.S.? How interested are you in starting a business some
day?
Discrimination I felt because of my
2.4
nationality or religion
I have already started a 0.6%
0.9%
Economic opportunities in home country 3.4 business 1.4% Indians
Europeans
19.1%
Desire to be with my family and friends Extremely interested 9.2% Chinese
3.9 9.6%
in home country
16.0%
Family obligations in home country 3.3 Very interested 8.3%
23.9%

No opinion on this right 31.1%

Availability of jobs in the U.S. 2.9 28.4%
now 23.4%
Difficulty in getting a visa to stay in the 20.3%
2.8 Somewhat interested 25.7%
U.S.
33.5%

(1= not at all a factor, 5 = an extremely important factor) 12.9%

Not at all interested 27.5%
8.3%

Entrepreneurial intentions
Over all, respondents expressed a strong interest in
starting a business. Of Chinese respondents, 68.4
percent are interested in starting a business or have
already started one; of European respondents, 44.1

Losing the World’s Best and Brightest

14
 DETAILED FINDINGS

Figure 22
Timeframe for starting a business (if interested in
starting a business)

7.3%
More than 15 years Indians
6.3%
from now
5.9% Europeans
Chinese
18.8%
11-15 years 16.5%
22.8%

46.3%
6-10 years 49.4%
45.0%

27.7%
5 years or less 27.8%
26.2%

Figure 23
Likely location of business startup (if interested in
starting a business)

24.6%
Not sure yet 33.3%
27.5%
Indians
3.1% Europeans
In another country 14.1%
Chinese
1.5%

54.7%
In your home country 34.6%
52.5%

17.6%
In the U.S. 17.9%
18.6%

Figure 24
Key problems faced by friends seeking to come to the
U.S.

2.2
They cannot get a student visa 1.7
2.3
Indians
They do not have the necessary academic 1.9 Europeans
2.0 Chinese
qualifications 2.3

2.4
Family issues prevent them 2.4
2.3

They cannot get scholarships/support 3.3

3.3
from U.S. universities 3.3

They cannot get financial support from 3.2

3.3
family/friends 3.2

(1 = no one has this problem, 5 = everyone has this problem)

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15