International Student Enrollment in U.S. Rebounds, Biggest Growth from India

International student enrollment in U.S. institutions has rebounded to close to pre-pandemic numbers, with a total of 1,057,188 international students enrolling in U.S. higher education institutions for the 2022-23 academic year. The highest growth in international student enrollment came from India, which saw a 35% increase in students studying in the United States. It is estimated that international students contributed $40.1 billion to the U.S. economy this past year.

These insights and more were announced on November 13, 2023, by the Institute of International Education, which partnered with ten higher education associations (including AACRAO) to release the Fall 2023 Snapshot of International Student Enrollment, a complement to the annual Open Doors research findings released the same day.

National Trends in International Student Enrollment

Highlights from this year’s report on international student enrollment include:

• A total of 1,057,188 international students enrolled in U.S. institutions in 2022-23, a 12% increase over 2021-2022 and just shy of the pre-pandemic international student enrollment numbers (1,095,299 in 2018-2019).
• India saw the biggest growth in students studying in the U.S., with a total of 268,923 students, and a 35% increase in enrollment of students from India.
• Students from China still make up the largest contingency of international students in the U.S. (289,526), but that number represents a 0.2% decrease in international students from China.
• There was tremendous growth in US enrollment of students from the South Asian countries of India (35%), Bangladesh (28%), Nepal (28%), and Pakistan (16%).
• International student enrollment is growing across all programs, with 3% growth in undergraduate enrollment, 7% growth in graduate enrollment, and 12% growth in Optional Practical Training (OPT).
• Fifty-five percent of international students were enrolled in STEM study programs, including 23% in math and computer science and 19% in engineering. Another 15% of international students were enrolled in business and management study programs.
• International students contributed $40.1 billion to the United States economy in 2022-2023, according to this report from NAFSA.

State Trends in International Student Enrollment

Open Doors also released State Fact Sheets that break down the national enrollment data by state. Each State Fact Sheet includes:

• The number of international students in that state;
• The net change in international student enrollment numbers from the previous year
• The leading places of origin for that state’s international student population
• The five institutions with the highest number of international students
• The estimated economic benefit to that state from their international students.

For 2022-2023, the states with the highest number of international students enrolled at their institutions included:

1. California (138,393 students, 3.2% increase)
2. New York (126,782, 11.5% increase)
3. Texas (80,757 students, 15% increase)
4. Massachusetts (79,751, 12.3% increase)
5. Illinois (55,337 students, 18.8% increase)

Download your Open Doors State Fact Sheet.