THE American Universities Admission Program, which has surveyed foreign students at US universities, reported on Wednesday that 1851 South Africans were registered as students in the US during the 1997 academic year, of whom 39,5% were doing post-graduate studies. There were then also 288 South African professors working in the US. Among the undergraduates, 25,8% were studying business, and 12,8% social sciences. Studying abroad cost the South Africans between R66000 and R190000 per year, yet 67% are fully funded by their own families. Only 0,6% of South Africans studying in the US are unemployed six months after graduation. Some are recruited on campus by major multinationals, the rest return home to South Africa, where they command premium salaries.