International Student Enrollment Hits All-Time High: Report
Credit: Chicago Tribune / Contributor / Tribune News Service / Getty Images- The U.S. continues to be the top destination for international students looking to study abroad.
- India surpassed China as the top source of international students in the 2023-24 academic year.
- Graduate student enrollment grew 8%, but undergraduate enrollment decreased slightly.
- More than half of international students came to the U.S. to study in a STEM field.
The U.S. higher education system hit an all-time high of 1.13 million international students enrolled last academic year.
The total number of international students enrolled at a U.S. college or participating in Optional Practical Training (OPT) in the 2023-24 academic year increased nearly 7% from the year prior, according to the latest Open Doors report from the Institute of International Education (IIE). Graduate student enrollment spiked by almost 8% in the 2023-24 academic year, contributing heavily to the record enrollments.
Allan Goodman, CEO of IIE, said in a press call that he expects this upward trend of international enrollment to continue, even with a change in presidential administrations.
The next four to five years are going to show a lot of growth in international students coming to the United States,
he said.
Notably, India surpassed China as the leading place of origin for international students, per the Open Doors report. Mirka Martel, head of research at IIE, said this is the first time since 2009 that China has not held the lead spot. Enrollment from China dropped 4.2%, while enrollment from India rose 23.3%.
China continues to be the leading sender of undergraduate students.
China and India account for more than half (54%) of all international students in the U.S.
Graduate students are seemingly becoming a more significant share of the international enrollment pie. While undergraduate enrollments have stabilized since the COVID-19 pandemic, graduate student enrollment has continued to tick upward year after year.
Martel noted that U.S. higher education may still be seeing the effects of the pandemic, especially in undergraduate enrollment.
It’s important to keep in mind that undergraduate decreases during the COVID-19 pandemic are still cycling through the higher education system,
she said.
The continued rise of Sub-Saharan Africa as a source of international students is another trend to note. Just under 57,000 students from that region studied in the U.S. last academic year, a 13.1% increase from 2022-23.
Before the pandemic, the region had never sent more than 45,000 students to the U.S.
Nigeria leads the way with just over 20,000 students, up 13.5% from the year prior. Ghana, Kenya, and Ethiopia all sent more than 3,000 students to the U.S. in 2023-24.
Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors continue to attract international students. Over half (56%) of international students in the U.S. studied in STEM fields.
The top states for international students were California, New York, and Texas.