Where America's International Students Come From

The Covid-19 pandemic saw international enrollment at U.S. higher education institutions dip majorly, but the number of international students has recovered since then - aided by a bigger influx from India. The first year above pre-pandemic levels, the Open Doors Report on International Education Exchange counted 1.13 million international students in the country in the past school year. This represents an increase of 7 percent over 2022/23 and 18 percent over 2020/21.

International students make up 5.9 percent of the total U.S. student population, up from 5.6 percent one year prior. They contributed around $50 billion to the American economy in 2023.

India became the largest source country for international students after overtaking China, with a grand total of 331,602 enrolled in undergraduate, graduate, non-degree and optional practicing training programs. While Indian enrollment has been growing, that of Chinese students has been decreasing for years. South Korea is in rank 3 with 43,149 international students in the past academic year, followed by Canada, Taiwan and Vietnam. Other countries where international enrollment at U.S. institutions grew quickly were Nigeria (up 13.5 percent) and Bangladesh (up 26.1 percent).