Most Popular Majors for International Students
Credit: Image Credit: JGalione / E+ / Getty Images- Computer science was the most common primary major for international students in 2022.
- Non-English language studies, meanwhile, was the second most popular major.
- Half of all international students studied in one of the top 20 majors.
Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors reign supreme as a primary draw for international students.
The latest Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) report from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement showed that STEM-related majors comprised more than half of the top 20 most popular majors for these students.
The SEVP report uses data from students who enrolled in U.S. colleges through a student visa, so it does not include undocumented international students or students in the U.S. through other means like Temporary Protected Status.
There were 1.23 million students on F-1 and M-1 student visas studying at colleges and universities in the U.S. in 2022.
| Primary Major | Number of Active Students, 2022 |
|---|---|
| Computer science | 91,083 |
| Second language learning (Any non-English language major) | 89,266 |
| Business administration and management, general | 81,797 |
| Computer and information sciences, general | 63,955 |
| Electrical and electronics engineering | 37,809 |
| Mechanical engineering | 30,561 |
| Management science | 29,182 |
| General studies | 25,824 |
| Econometrics and quantitative economics | 25,573 |
| Liberal arts and sciences/Liberal studies | 24,421 |
| Management sciences and quantitative methods, other | 23,489 |
| Information technology | 23,184 |
| Regular/General high school/Secondary diploma program | 21,963 |
| Information science/studies | 18,635 |
| Biology/Biological sciences, general | 18,605 |
| Civil engineering, general | 17,793 |
| High School/Secondary diploma programs, other | 17,275y |
| Computer engineering, general | 16,370 |
| Mathematics, general | 16,059 |
| Chemistry, general | 15,231 |
This marks a shakeup in the top three. In 2021, business administration was the most common major, with computer science in second and second language learning in third.
According to the SEVP report, 50% of all international students studied at least one of the top 20 majors.
Students studied across varying degree levels of higher education. Approximately 6% pursued an associate degree, 37% a bachelor’s degree, 41% a master’s degree, and 16% a doctoral degree.
The SEVP report showed that the international student market is continuing to rebound from COVID-19 lows. Total higher education enrollment increased 7.3% from 2021.