Jakarta (ANTARA News) - US Ambassador Scot Marciel gave opening remarks at one of the largest EducationUSA Fairs, which is a free event targeting US higher education students and coordinated by AMINEF/EducationUSA and the US Embassy, here on Sunday.

The Fair is part of the US Government's larger initiative to contribute to the goals set forth in the Comprehensive Partnership agreement between President Obama and President Yudhoyono in 2010 to double the number of Indonesians studying in the US in the next five years, the US Embassy here said in its official website on Monday.

On Sunday, 59 American universities participated, representing a cross-section of American higher education, including public universities, private universities and community colleges. During the Fair, representatives of the US Embassy Consular Office provided detailed information about the visa application process.

In 2011, 96 percent of student visa applicants who applied to study in the U.S. were granted a visa for study purposes. Approximately 2,500 potential students and their parents visited the Jakarta fair, showing the strong interest in American education here. Students asked about the thousands of possibilities of majors, programs, scholarships, and assistantship opportunities available in the United States.

Many of the 59 participating universities will be traveling to Surabaya and then Medan. The next EducationUSA Fair event will be on March 27 at the Sheraton Hotel in Surabaya from 16:00-20:00. The final EducationUSA fair will be at the J.W. Marriot Hotel in Medan on March 29 from 16:00-20:00. Both the Surabaya and Medan fairs will be the largest U.S. education fairs ever held in those cities.

(A014)

Editor: Ade P Marboen
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