International Student Facts
Explore insights about international students. In 2023/24, the total number of international students in the U.S. increased by 7% to a record high of 1,126,690 students.
The numbers are the amount of international students
Country of Origin
India: 331,602
China: 277,398
South Korea: 43,149
Canada: 28,998
Taiwan: 23,157
Vietnam: 22,066
Nigeria: 20,029
Bangladesh: 17,099
Brazil: 16,877
Nepal: 16,742
Field of Study
Math and Computer Science: 280,922
Engineering: 210,163
Business and Management: 159,810
Physical & Life Sciences: 88,717
Social Sciences: 84,307
Fine & Applied Arts: 54,159
Health Professions: 36,615
Communications & Journalism: 21,481
Host States
California: 140,858
New York: 135,813
Texas: 89,546
Massachusetts: 82,306
Illinois: 62,299
Pennsylvania: 50,514
Florida: 44,767
Michigan: 38,123
Ohio: 36,884
Missouri: 32,647
Host Universities
New York University: 27,247
Northeastern University - Boston: 21,023
Columbia University: 20,321
Arizona State University - Campus Immersion: 18,430
University of Southern California: 17,469
University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign: 15,376
Boston University: 12,853
University of California - Berkeley: 12,441
Purdue University - West Lafayette: 12,181
University of North Texas: 11,917
Primary Source of Funding
Personal and Family: 614,564
Current Employment: 245,930
U.S. College or University: 214,551
Foreign Government or University: 20,346
Foreign Private Sponsor: 9,540
U.S. Private Sponsor: 2,606
U.S. Government: 1,323
International Organization: 399
Other Sources of Funding: 17,431
Percentage International Students
International students accounted for 5.9% of the total U.S. higher education population of 18,939,568 students.
All Time High
1,126,690 international students from more than 210 places of origin studied at U.S. higher education institutions during the 2023/2024 academic year, a 7% increase from the previous academic year.
Contribution to the US economy
International students contributed US$43.8 billion to the US economy in 2023/24.
Growth Forecast
The number of international students in the U.S. is expected to grow annually, with potential to reach two million by 2030.
New Enrollments
The number of new international students enrolling at a U.S. college or university for the first time remained robust, with 298,705 new international students in 2023/2024, matching last year’s total (0.1%) and pre-pandemic levels.
STEM Students
The majority of students studied in the STEM fields (56 percent), and math and computer science continued to grow as the leading field of study for international students in 2023/24. One in four (25%) studied math and computer science, while nearly one in five (19%) studied engineering.