International Student Trends in the USA

Last week the Migration Policy Institute published an in-depth look at the current state of international students in the United States, and there were some interesting trends.

What Stood Out to Me

• The US is still the world's top destination for international students, @ 16.3% (~1.12MM) in 2024, but the % share has been decreasing since a record high of 20% in 2014.
• International students represent almost 20% of all enrolled US students, but this is still small compared to other countries like Canada (38%) or Australia (31%).
• 1 in 3 international students now come from India. It's the first time in 15 years that India's taken the top spot, previously this was China.
• International students contributed 43.8B$ to the US economy in 2024 and supported 378k jobs.
• The majority (55%) financed their own educational costs via personal or family funding sources, with just 19% taking US University financial aid.