US International Students Surpass 1 Million

The US educational sector has recently announced exciting news. According to the US State Department's 2023 Open Doors report and the Institute of International Education, new enrollments have exceeded previous pre-COVID times. This is significant news, as now an additional 298,000 international students have enrolled, and additional numbers from 2024 have shown another 8% increase in international students.

Allan E. Goodman, CEO of the Institute of International Education, recently stated, “Over one million international students studying in the US reflects a strong rebound, with the number approaching pre-pandemic levels”. This marks a fantastic recovery for the US education sector and further solidifies the United States’ position as one of the top study destinations. 

Numbers have shown that the countries sending the most international students to the USA were China and India, making up 53% of the international student population coming to study in the USA. The number of Chinese students has recently been diminishing at a rate of 9%, but now it is only falling at a rate of 0.2%, which shows a recovery in Chinese students coming to study in the USA.

Contrarily, India had a 35% increase in students coming to study in the USA compared to the previous year. This is the highest increase that India has seen so far in students coming to study in the USA. 

Other top sending countries include, in order, South Korea, Canada, Vietnam, Taiwan, and lastly, Nigeria. The Sub-Saharan African region is also seeing its highest growth rate, with an increase of 18%.

According to Forbes, this increase has immensely impacted the US economy, as it has contributed more than $40 billion to the US economy in the 2022–2023 academic year. This contribution is attributed to tuition and general spending, including housing, food, transportation, and much more.