More than 12,000 Haitian students study in 23 public and private Dominican universities in sectors such as medicine, nursing, business administration, international relations, civil engineering and tourism.

Also in the pre-university sector, more than 67,000 foreign students studying in the Dominican Republic, 44.310 students (over 65%) are of Haitian origin: 37.567 Haitians are studying in public schools; 6,148 in private schools and 595 in the semi-official sector (source 2013: Planning Department of the Ministry of Education Dominican).

Other foreign students (34.3% from 25 countries) are from: United States (12.519), Spain (1,753), Puerto Rico (1,468) to them are other countries including Venezuela, Italy, Cuba, Panama, Germany, Denmark, Russia, China, Peru, Brazil and 560 students from other countries for a grand total of foreign students 67.423 (pre-university sector).

Note that there are only three months that the Ministry of Education Dominican through the Ministry of Community Participation has sent a circular to all Regional Directors of district and of Centres so that they accept in their classrooms Haitian students without birth certificates.

According to a study of the Dominico-Haitian Observatory, the sustained growth of schooling for Haitian students in the Dominican Republic could be explained by the earthquake that destroyed much of school and university infrastructure in Haiti in 2010.

Recall that this week, a controversy ignited social networks, according to the statements of the Haitian Chancellor Lener Renauld, to the Organization of American States (OAS), which affirmed that there was no Haitian students enrolled at the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo (UASD) contradicting Cesar Amado Martinez, the Communications Director of the University, who claimed that at the contrary hundreds of Haitians were studying at the UASD.

A statement that caused many denial on what the Chancellor said, including by Haitian students, who study at the UASD.

PI/ HaitiLibre