The United States enrolled more than 1.1 million international students in the 2023-24 academic year, the largest single-country total ever recorded, according to the Migration Policy Institute (MPI).

The figure translates to about 16 percent of the world's 6.9 million internationally mobile students. That share has dropped from roughly 20 percent of a 4.5-million-student total in 2013-14.

How did the leading source countries change?

India overtook China for the first time in 15 years. Indian students numbered 331,600, or 29 percent of the U.S. total, while Chinese students numbered 277,400, or 25 percent. South Korea (43,100), Canada (29,000), and Taiwan (23,200) followed.

The gap widened during the pandemic. Between 2021-22 and 2023-24, Indian enrollment rose 66 percent, while Chinese numbers fell 4 percent. Bangladesh (up 61 percent) and Nepal (up 42 percent) also surged.

Which visas cover this population?

Four visa categories account for nearly all foreign students and exchange visitors in the United States:

• F-1: full-time students at an academic institution or language program
• M-1: full-time vocational students
• F-3 / M-3: Canadian and Mexican border commuters to U.S. schools
• J-1: participants in cultural or educational exchange programs, including au pairs and visiting scholars

About 1.6 million F-1 and M-1 students enrolled at SEVIS-certified schools in calendar year 2024, a 5 percent rise from 2023. J-1 students numbered about 301,000, largely unchanged from 299,000 a year earlier.

Where are international students concentrated?

California (141,000), New York (136,000), and Texas (90,000) hosted about one in three international students in 2023-24. Massachusetts, Illinois, and Pennsylvania rounded out the top six.

New York University led individual institutions with 27,200 international students. Northeastern University's Boston campus followed with 21,000, and Columbia University held third place with 20,300. The top ten institutions together enrolled 167,000 students, or 15 percent of the total.

What changes could reshape the OPT pipeline?

The Trump administration has discussed eliminating Optional Practical Training (OPT), the program that lets F-1 graduates work in their field for 12 to 36 months. Officials are also weighing shorter durations for student and exchange-visitor visas, and they have moved to revoke Harvard's authority to enroll foreign students.

About 242,800 students participated in OPT in 2023-24, an increase of nearly 44,000 from the prior year. STEM graduates qualify for the longest 36-month track, and 56 percent of international students in 2023-24 studied STEM fields.

If OPT disappears, MPI notes, the fallout would extend beyond students to U.S. employers including Amazon, Google, and Microsoft, which hire the largest numbers of STEM OPT workers.

How does the U.S. rank among global destinations?

Of 6.9 million students studying abroad in 2024, the United States still ranked first. Canada hosted 843,000, the United Kingdom 759,000, Australia 437,000, and France 412,000.

International students contributed nearly $43.8 billion to the U.S. economy in 2023-24 and supported more than 378,000 jobs, according to NAFSA: Association of International Educators.