Photo: Institute of International Education
As both economic relations and foreign engagement in the Caribbean expand, the United States must invest in meaningful, long-term partnerships across the region. Educational exchange with the Dominican Republic can play a vital role by expanding workforce development, fostering innovation, and building lasting institutional and diplomatic ties between both countries.
The Dominican Republic, the largest economy in the Caribbean, has experienced significant growth, partially driven by the Central America–Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement, which significantly increased trade with the United States. Furthermore, exports to the country have grown notably since 2021, which coincided with the election of President Luis Abinader in 2020, who has actively pursued a closer relationship with the United States. These efforts have resulted in a significant trade surplus—the United States exported $13 billion in goods to the Dominican Republic compared to $7 billion in imports in 2024.
Within that framework, the United States also maintains a trade surplus in educational services, as students pay to attend colleges and universities. Dominican students studying in the United States contribute over $95 million annually to higher education institutions and contribute to local communities across the United States. The Dominican Republic also benefits from U.S. students studying abroad, where U.S. students spend an estimated $78 million each year.
In addition to the direct economic benefits of international exchange, student mobility can support both countries through the development of a well-trained labor force, which is a critical factor for the Dominican Republic to attract strategic industries such as pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, and other advanced manufacturing. It also directly benefits U.S. industries seeking to invest in nearshore operations by expanding access to a skilled, culturally fluent workforce in a nearby, stable, and increasingly competitive market.
While the Dominican government currently invests in workforce training at local technical colleges and universities, international exchange holds significant potential to strengthen these opportunities. For instance, community college exchanges and “micro-credential” exchanges can quickly train the workforce to work in the production stage, while graduate-level exchanges can provide specialized knowledge to advance local industries or partnerships with U.S. businesses. These educational exchanges also build skills in intercultural communication and language proficiency, preparing a more globally competent workforce.
Educational exchange has long served as a powerful diplomatic tool, with over 200 world leaders having studied in the United States, including Dominican President Luis Abinader. He completed postgraduate studies at Harvard and Dartmouth, and a third of his cabinet studied in the United States. These educational ties foster shared cultural understanding and political values, which can often translate into deeper bilateral cooperation. President Abinader’s administration has cooperated with the United States on key issues, such as fighting against drug trafficking, organized crime, and irregular migration.
The importance of continued strong diplomatic relations and educational cooperation is imperative, given the growing Chinese influence. Since formalizing diplomatic relations in 2018, trade between China and the Dominican Republic has more than doubled from $2 billion in 2018 to nearly $5 billion in 2023, making it the second-largest source of imports after the United States and the fourth-largest export destination. This economic expansion has been accompanied by increasing educational cooperation. In 2018, the two countries signed a five-year education plan aimed at stimulating short-term exchanges among public servants, professors, researchers, and students. China also opened up a Confucius Institute at the Technological Institute of Santo Domingo, which is considered the leading technical university in the country. This continues the tradition of leveraging Confucius Institutes as a strategic tool to foster people-to-people ties and ground Chinese soft power through Mandarin instruction and cultural programs.
Notably, educational collaboration between China and the Dominican Republic has focused heavily on technical education. The Dominican Republic has partnered with numerous technical colleges in China, such as the Shandong Foreign Trade Vocational College and Nanjing Jinling Higher Technical Vocational College. Flagship programs of these partner universities—manufacturing automation, automotive technology, medical imaging, and tourism studies—coincide with key sectors of the Dominican economy.
The global competition for talent is not constrained to just China; Dominican students are often also attracted to Spanish-speaking or more affordable countries, such as Spain, Argentina, Cuba, and Panama.
The Institute of International Education’s Open Doors, a 75-year research project on international educational exchange supported by the U.S. Department of State, has long tracked international education exchanges, including with the Dominican Republic. The trend line below shows the ebbs and flows of international students from the Dominican Republic studying in the United States since 1948–1949 (Figure 1). There has overall been steady growth in the numbers over time, with two periods of strong growth in the late 1960s and the late 2000s. The doubling of students between 2005–2006 and 2012–2013 may have been linked to several initiatives, such as scholarships from the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology (MESCyT).
As of the 2023–2024 academic year, there were 1,542 Dominican students in the United States. While this may not seem high, it reflects 0.3 percent of the Dominican Republic’s higher education enrollment, which is a similar proportion to the number seen in both Brazil (0.2 percent) and Mexico (0.3 percent). These students pursued a range of academic experiences to include undergraduate and graduate degrees as well as nondegree programs, such as intensive English or exchange programs, and optional practical training (OPT). Within the Caribbean region, the Dominican Republic ranks as the third-largest sender of international students, following Jamaica and the Bahamas.
Most Dominican students in the United States pursue undergraduate studies (62 percent), while smaller shares enroll at the graduate level (19 percent), in nondegree programs (4 percent), or participate in OPT after graduation (15 percent). The trend in academic levels over the past decade has been stable, with low levels of students studying at the graduate and nondegree levels (Figure 2), signaling a potential area for future growth for undergraduate students to continue to advanced studies or short-term, nondegree program expansion.
Dominican students study at institutions across the country, with nearly half (42 percent) in Florida, New York, and Massachusetts. This geographic distribution aligns with the locations of the largest Dominican diaspora communities, suggesting that these areas may provide supportive networks for incoming students. Additionally, the Florida-Caribbean Institute allows eligible students from the Caribbean to pay in-state tuition rates at Florida institutions. Others, such as the National Institute of Professional Technical Training, now offer a program for diaspora students in New York to pursue technical careers.
It is also important to consider educational exchange in the opposite direction. According to Open Doors data, 1,776 U.S. students studied abroad in the Dominican Republic in 2022–2023 (Figure 3). This includes two types of study abroad students: U.S. students studying abroad in the Dominican Republic from their U.S. college or university, either on academic credit or noncredit experiences. Many of these programs are likely faculty-led study abroad experiences rather than U.S. students directly enrolling in exchanges at local universities.
In 2022–2023, 1,180 U.S. students studied abroad in the Dominican Republic and received academic credit for that experience at their U.S. institution. The Dominican Republic is the top destination for U.S. students studying abroad for academic credit in the Caribbean and ranks 36th among all global destinations. However, it ranks below other leading destinations in Central America, such as Costa Rica (6,558 students), Belize (1,799 students), and Panama (1,254 students), highlighting an opportunity to elevate the country’s profile as a competitive and accessible study abroad destination.
Over the past two decades, the number of U.S. students studying abroad in the Dominican Republic grew steadily, from around 500 annually in the early 2000s to over 2,000 in the late 2010s (Figure 4). Yet, participation fell sharply amid the Covid-19 pandemic. While recent numbers reflect a partial recovery, they remain well below pre-pandemic levels, similar to many other Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries.
In addition, U.S. colleges and universities also send students abroad on noncredit opportunities, which can include volunteer, internship, and research abroad experiences. Similar to the data on for-credit study abroad, the Dominican Republic was the leading destination for noncredit experiences in the Caribbean in 2022–2023, with 596 U.S. students. Moreover, it ranked as the 12th leading destination globally for non-credit experiences. For students who may be using this experience to participate in research, field work, or global internships, these experiences can enable workforce and research connections that last well beyond the exchange.
Despite the potential of educational exchanges in strengthening U.S.-Dominican ties, several major challenges remain for bilateral expansion.
Critically, domestic educational challenges undermine students’ readiness to study abroad. According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2022 results, Dominican students have one of the lowest performances among PISA-participating countries. For English proficiency, the Dominican Republic ranked 15 out of 21 countries in the LAC in EF’s English Proficiency Index. Despite mandating English as a school subject, the English teaching system in the Dominican Republic has a lack of resources, where schools struggle to find qualified English teachers and teaching materials, especially amongst rural schools.
Limited funding also poses a significant hurdle for potential students. The average annual income in the Dominican Republic is around $7,500 per capita, while the average annual cost to attend a U.S. college is approximately $38,000. While several Dominican and U.S. entities provide funding for Dominican students to study abroad in the United States, such as MESCyT International Scholarships, Beca Tu Futuro, the Fulbright Foreign Student Program, and the Community College Initiative Program, most only provide partial funding and often exclude living expenses, making it difficult for lower-income Dominicans to enroll in full-time programs.
U.S students looking to study abroad in the Dominican Republic also face several barriers. The additional cost of studying abroad—on top of already high U.S. higher education expenses—can be a significant deterrent. Language is another challenge, as most instruction in Dominican institutions is conducted in Spanish. Finally, a lack of awareness among U.S. institutions and students about available study abroad opportunities in the Dominican Republic may also hinder participation.
To increase student mobility between the Dominican Republic and the United States, several key areas of focus can help expand opportunities for exchange and collaboration.
Helping students improve their English skills starts with enhancing teacher training. This can be addressed through virtual training opportunities, such as the Organization of American States’ Language Cooperation Program, or through in-person exchanges that allow Dominican teachers to train in the United States, like the Fulbright Teaching Excellence and Achievement Program and initiatives similar to the professional development program in the United States for Brazilian teachers of English. Dominican students can also directly enroll in U.S. intensive English programs that provide English language training and prepare students for further education in the United States.
Expanding long-term strategic partnerships can enhance educational exchange in both directions. One avenue is through leveraging the United States–led 100,000 Strong in the Americas initiative to form partnerships with universities in the Dominican Republic. For example, the New York Institute of Technology and the Instituto Tecnológico de las Americas partnered to create a study abroad program on entrepreneurship. There are also opportunities for long-term collaborations that benefit both countries, such as the partnership between Western Michigan University and the Universidad Iberoamericana in Santo Domingo to create the first doctoral program in the Dominican Republic. Institutions could capitalize on noncredit opportunities to expand exchange or develop partnerships through athletic experiences, such as baseball exchanges.
National and regional forums, such as the Conference of the Americas on International Education, membership networks, such as the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, and the EducationUSA’s Western Hemisphere Higher Education Institutions Partnership Board, can also facilitate more cross-border partnerships through their convening power. The continuation of funding from U.S. embassy programs that facilitate partnerships, such as the U.S.-Dominican Republic Higher Education Working Group, can also expand student and faculty mobility and foster joint research.
Given the financial barriers many students face, there is a continued need to raise awareness and highlight affordable pathways to study abroad. Significant knowledge gaps persist—especially across income levels and between rural and urban areas. Entities like EducationUSA and the U.S. Embassy play a key role in providing guidance, but greater efforts are needed to reach more marginalized communities.
It is important to inform Dominican students about alternative pathways to participate in exchange programs. These can include short-term exchanges focused on English language development, certificate programs at U.S. colleges and universities, and technical career programs at U.S. community colleges. Offering semester exchanges or dual-degree programs, such as the one between Miami Law and Pontificia Universidad Catolica Madre y Maestra, can provide more financially feasible options for Dominican students.
Universities and program designers could better promote the Dominican Republic’s academic and cultural offerings to position it as an affordable study abroad destination. For example, several LAC countries have dedicated platforms that highlight the benefits of studying there, such as Study in Costa Rica and Learn Chile. Developing similar resources for the Dominican Republic could help increase its visibility and appeal.
There are growing opportunities to expand workforce development and strengthen key sectors that benefit both the Dominican Republic and the United States, such as the semiconductor industry. The Dominican Republic is considered a strong candidate for nearshoring semiconductor manufacturing, and President Abinader has also promoted this industry as a high national priority. To support this effort, Purdue University recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the government of the Dominican Republic to support research, academic exchange, and curriculum development in the fields of microchips and microelectronics.
For Dominican students who attend programs within the United States, there are also opportunities to expand engagement in OPT, which allows students to gain work experience. Approximately 15 percent of international students from the Dominican Republic were on OPT experiences in 2023–2024, which is higher than the national average for the Latin America and Caribbean Region (12 percent), but well below other leading countries, such as India (29 percent) and China (22 percent).
International education serves as a vital diplomatic tool, fostering strong bilateral ties that support economic growth, diplomatic engagement, and workforce development. In an environment of expanding Chinese influence and active recruitment through initiatives like Confucius Institutes, the United States needs to continue advancing its international education efforts. Reducing support for educational exchange programs, such as MESCyT International Scholarships, EducationUSA, and the Fulbright Program, would limit student participation and weaken a critical avenue for strengthening both economic and cultural connections. These exchanges not only foster mutual understanding but also lay the groundwork for cooperation that can continue to expand diplomatic relations and economic growth.
This commentary is made possible by the generous support of the Richard Lounsbery Foundation.
Julie Baer is a research and learning lead at the Institute of International Education in Washington, D.C. Juliana Rubio is an associate director with the Americas Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, D.C. Jessie Hu is an intern with the Americas Program at CSIS.
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