Nearly 1.2 million international students studied at US universities in the academic year 2024-25. This is a 5% increase from the previous academic year. Of the total U.S. higher education population, international students accounted for 6%.
According to the Open Doors 2025 Report on International Educational Exchange, the leading annual benchmark for international educational exchange in the United States, in the 2024–2025 academic year, 1,177,766 international students studied at U.S. higher education institutions.
However, the number of new international students enrolling at a U.S. college or university for the first time decreased by 7% to 277,118 in 2024–2025.
The number of international graduate, undergraduate and non-degree students showed a decline of 2% to 4% but the number of international students who remained in the United States to gain practical work experience through Optional Practical Training (OPT) grew by 21% to reach 294,253.
India remained the leading place of origin with 363,019 international students in the United States in 2024/2025, reflecting a 9.5% increase from the prior year. China was the second leading place of origin with 265,919 students, reflecting a 4% decline.
Students from Nepal saw the largest increase of 48.7%, while those from Saudi Arabia saw the largest decrease of -14.3%.
US universities in California, New York, and Texas attracted the most international students, with the largest growth reported in Texas, Illinois and Missouri. New York University, Northeastern University – Boston and Columbia University were among the top three US universities for foreign students.
The majority of students studied in the STEM fields (57%), and math and computer science continued to grow as the leading field of study for international students in 2024/25.
The Open Doors International students data reflects information on international student mobility to the United States and is considered to be one of the most authentic sources of information on US higher education for international students.
