Cambodia’s economy is one of the fastest growing in the world. GDP is expected to continue growing at a rate of approximately 7% per year.

With Cambodia’s booming economy, greater numbers of Cambodian students are in a position to afford higher education abroad.

As reported in the 2018 Open Doors report, the number of Cambodian students in the US rose from 512 in 2017 to 659 in 2018. This is a 28.7% increase.

Most Cambodian students would prefer to study in the United States and consider U.S. institutions of higher education to be of the highest quality.

Cambodian students are increasingly interested in studying at American community colleges, in particular, because of affordability and accessibility.

English language education is a priority for Cambodia. English is a mandatory subject in secondary schools, and many of the best Cambodian universities use English for course instruction. Cambodians understand the importance of mastering the English language in order to improve their future career options.

WHAT IS THE CONTEXT FOR HIGHER EDUCATION IN CAMBODIA?

Cambodia’s university-aged population is burgeoning. Seventy per cent of the population is under the age of 35 with more and more young people striving to continue their education past the primary and secondary levels.

The number of high quality private international high schools in the country is rapidly growing, which are better able to prepare Cambodian students to meet the educational requirements of U.S. colleges and universities.

The percentage of Cambodians who complete high school and go on to university has increased sharply over the past ten years, with a corresponding increase in the number of universities and institutes of higher learning in Cambodia.