International Students Studying in United States - Facts and Figures

Most popular American universities, study fields, states and financing methods

Number of international/foreign students in United States

The number of international students at colleges and universities in the United States increased by five percent to 723,277 during the 2010/11 academic year, according to the Institute of International Education (IIE) in partnership with the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

In 2011, there were 32 percent more international students studying at U.S. colleges and universities than those ten years ago.

Countries sending highest number of international/foreign students

Chinese students increased by 23 percent in total and by 43 percent at the undergraduate level. Female students represent approximately 45 percent of the total number of international students.

International students studying undergraduate and graduate levels

Undergraduate level: 291,439
Graduate level: 296,574

The number of graduate international enrollments remained higher than undergraduate since 2000/2001 academic year.

Number of international students in 2011 and increase (+)/decrease (-) from previous year:

China: 157,558 (+ 23 percent)
India: 103,895 (- 1 percent)
South Korea: 73,351 (+ 2 percent)
Canada: 27,546 (-2 percent)
Taiwan: 24,818 (- 7 percent)
Saudi Arabia: 22,704 (+ 44 percent)
Japan: 21,290 (- 14 percent)
Vietnam: 14,888 (+ 14 percent)
Mexico: 13,713 (+ 2 percent)
Turkey: 12,184 (- 2 percent)
Nepal: 10,301 (- 8 percent)
Germany: 9,458 (- 1 percent)
United Kingdom (8,947, up 1 percent)
Brazil: 8,777 (no change)
Thailand: 8,236 (- 4 percent)
Hong Kong: 8,136 (+ 1 percent)
France: 8,098 (+ 5 percent)
Nigeria: 7,148 (+ 9 percent)
Indonesia: 6,942 (no change)
Malaysia: 6,735 (+ 9 percent)
Colombia: 6,456 (- 7 percent)
Iran: 5,626 (+ 19 percent)
Venezuela: 5,491 (+ 11 percent)
Pakistan: 5,045 (- 3 percent)
Kenya: 4,666 (- 13 percent)

Most popular fields of study for foreign/international students in the United States in 2010:

Business and Management (22 percent of total)
Engineering (19 percent)
Mathematics and Computer Science (9 percent)
Physical and Life Sciences (9 percent)
Social Sciences (9 percent)
Fine & Applied Arts (5 percent)
Health Professions (5 percent)
Intensive English Language (5 percent)
Education (2 percent)
Humanities (2 percent)
Agriculture (1 percent)

States with highest number of international students:

California: 96,535
New York: 78,888
Texas: 61,636
Massachusetts: 38,698
Illinois: 33,766
Pennsylvania: 30,507
Florida: 29,719
Ohio: 24,709
Michigan: 24,668
Indiana: 20,112

Universities with highest number of international students by 2011:

University of Southern California: 8,615
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign: 7,991
New York University: 7,988
Purdue University: 7,562
Columbia University: 7,297
University of California–Los Angeles (UCLA): 6,249
Ohio State University: 6,082
University of Michigan–Ann Arbor: 5,995
Michigan State University: 5,748
Harvard University: 5,594

Financing sources of education of international students

About 63 percent of all international students received the majority of their funds from personal and family sources. Almost 70 percent of all international students financed their cost of education (tuition, accommodation, food, transportation, etc.) from their home countries. This means that 30 percent of international students obtained funds in the United States to finance their undergraduate and graduate education.

Source: Institute of International Education (IIE)

IIE manages the EducationUSA network of advising offices, providing information to students around the world who wish to study in the United States. For more information, visit: Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State.