International exchange connects millions of learners across borders. UNESCO’s latest figure shown on its higher-education page counts 7.3 million internationally mobile students among more than 269 million higher-education students worldwide in 2024. The figures below show how that movement is distributed globally and how it appears in U.S. inbound and outbound exchange data.
Contents
- Global scale and mobility patterns
- International students in U.S. higher education
- Where U.S. international students come from
- Fields of study
- Where U.S. students study abroad
- Duration, funding, and broader participation
Global scale and mobility patterns
The long-term direction of international exchange is clear in the UNESCO measure: the number of internationally mobile students was three times higher in the latest figure shown for 2024 than in 2000. That growth sits inside a much larger higher-education population, with 7.3 million mobile students compared with more than 269 million students worldwide.
The OECD’s 2023 tertiary-education measure provides another view of the global system. OECD countries hosted 5.02 million internationally mobile students. The United States enrolled 957,000 of those students. Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States together received 46% of internationally mobile students in OECD and partner countries.
Origins are concentrated by region. Students from Asia accounted for 58% of internationally mobile students enrolled across OECD countries in 2023, while students from Europe accounted for 19%. European students represented 39% of mobile students enrolled in the EU25 countries. This indicates that many European students remained within Europe for their international study experience, rather than moving to a distant region.
Mobility also varies by the type of academic activity. Non-degree students made up 71% of credit-mobile students in most reporting countries in 2023. Across reporting countries, 392,600 graduates participated in credit mobility. These measures describe different parts of exchange, so they should not be added to the broader international-student totals as if they were one common population. OECD, Education at a Glance 2025 reports the 2023 figures, while UNESCO’s Global Convention on Higher Education presents the latest global figure shown on its page.
International students in U.S. higher education
U.S. higher-education institutions hosted 1,177,766 international students in the 2024/25 academic year. The total rose 4.5% from the previous academic year, but the components moved in different directions. There were 277,118 new international students enrolling for the first time, a 7.2% year-over-year decline.
Graduate and undergraduate enrollment also diverged. International graduate students numbered 488,481, down 2.7% from 2023/24. International undergraduate students numbered 357,231, up 4.2%. International non-degree students numbered 37,801, down 2.4% year over year. Optional Practical Training accounted for 294,253 international students, up 21.2% year over year. In addition, 16,913 international students enrolled online from abroad.
International students represented 6.1% of the U.S. higher-education population of 19,247,640 students in 2024/25. The percentage describes the reported share of the full U.S. higher-education population; it is not a measure of the share of every international exchange activity.
The U.S. totals show why a single headline number needs context. The overall international-student population increased, while new enrollment fell and the number in Optional Practical Training increased. The academic-year totals therefore include students at different stages: first-time entrants, continuing degree students, non-degree students, and participants in post-study practical training. The source for these U.S. figures is 2025 Fast Facts from Open Doors.
Where U.S. international students come from
India was the leading origin of students in U.S. higher education in 2024/25, with 363,019 students, or 30.8% of the U.S. international-student total. China was second, with 265,919 students, or 22.6%. Together, those two origins accounted for more than half of the reported total when their supplied shares are considered together.
The next-largest reported origins were South Korea, Canada, Vietnam, Nepal, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Ghana, and Saudi Arabia.
| Origin | Students | Share of U.S. total |
|---|---|---|
| India | 363,019 | 30.8% |
| China | 265,919 | 22.6% |
| South Korea | 42,293 | 3.6% |
| Canada | 29,903 | 2.5% |
| Vietnam | 25,584 | 2.2% |
| Nepal | 24,890 | 2.1% |
| Nigeria | 21,847 | 1.9% |
| Bangladesh | 20,156 | 1.7% |
| Ghana | 12,825 | 1.1% |
| Saudi Arabia | 12,702 | 1.1% |
South Korea sent 42,293 students, representing 3.6% of the total. Canada sent 29,903, or 2.5%, and Vietnam sent 25,584, or 2.2%. Nepal sent 24,890, or 2.1%, while Nigeria sent 21,847, or 1.9%. Bangladesh sent 20,156, or 1.7%. Ghana and Saudi Arabia each represented 1.1%, with 12,825 and 12,702 students respectively. These figures are for the 2024/25 academic year and are reported in Open Doors’ 2025 Fast Facts.
Fields of study
The largest field among international students in U.S. higher education was mathematics and computer science, with 305,377 students, or 25.9% of the total, in 2024/25. Engineering was next, with 217,016 students, or 18.4%. Business and management enrolled 159,857 students, or 13.6%.
| Field | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Mathematics and computer science | 305,377 | 25.9% |
| Engineering | 217,016 | 18.4% |
| Business and management | 159,857 | 13.6% |
| Physical and life sciences | 95,667 | 8.1% |
| Social sciences | 86,008 | 7.3% |
| Fine and applied arts | 49,542 | 4.2% |
| Health professions | 40,417 | 3.4% |
| Communications and journalism | 21,493 | 1.8% |
| Other fields | 202,389 | 17.2% |
Physical and life sciences enrolled 95,667 international students, or 8.1%, and social sciences enrolled 86,008, or 7.3%. Fine and applied arts accounted for 49,542 students, or 4.2%. Health professions accounted for 40,417, or 3.4%, and communications and journalism for 21,493, or 1.8%. Other fields accounted for 202,389 students, or 17.2%.
Open Doors reports that STEM fields accounted for 57% of international students in U.S. higher education in 2024/25. This broader STEM share should be read alongside the individual field categories above; the categories are presented as reported measures and are not independently reconstructed here. The STEM figure is from Open Doors’ International Students release.
Where U.S. students study abroad
In the 2023/24 academic year, 298,180 U.S. students studied abroad for academic credit, up 6.2% from 2022/23. They studied in more than 170 destinations worldwide. Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, and France together hosted nearly 45% of U.S. study-abroad students.
Europe hosted 191,209 students, or 64.1% of the total. Latin America and the Caribbean hosted 31,453, or 10.5%, and Asia hosted 30,361, or 10.2%. Oceania hosted 9,910, or 3.3%, while Sub-Saharan Africa hosted 9,080, or 3.0%.
The Middle East and North Africa hosted 4,872 U.S. study-abroad students, or 1.6%. North America hosted 1,849, or 0.6%. These regional figures are the destination distribution reported for U.S. students studying abroad for academic credit; they should not be interpreted as the full number of U.S. students who traveled internationally for any purpose.
The destination data comes from Open Doors’ U.S. Study Abroad release and 2025 Fast Facts. The 298,180 total and the regional counts refer to 2023/24, not the 2024/25 inbound international-student year.
Duration, funding, and broader participation
Study-abroad duration varied substantially in 2023/24. Placements lasting eight weeks or less during the academic year numbered 67,877, or 22.8% of students. Summer-term study abroad was the largest reported duration category, with 117,373 students, or 39.4%. One- or two-quarter or semester placements numbered 105,899, or 35.5%. Academic- or calendar-year placements numbered 7,031, or 2.4%.
The duration pattern places short and term-length experiences side by side. Summer-term participation represented 39.4% of the reported total, while one- or two-quarter or semester placements represented 35.5%. The eight-weeks-or-less measure is a separate reported duration category, so the figures should be treated as published categories rather than recomputed into a new total.
Funding patterns for international students hosted in the United States were reported for 2024/25. Personal or family funds were the primary funding source for 606,781 students, or 51.5% of the U.S. total. Current employment was the primary source for 296,643 students, or 25.2%. A U.S. college or university was the primary source for 227,633 students, or 19.3%. A foreign government or university was the primary source for 19,633 students, or 1.7%.
The funding figures identify the primary reported source for the U.S. international-student population; they do not establish that every student paid the full cost from only one source. They also belong to the 2024/25 inbound population, while the duration figures belong to U.S. study abroad in 2023/24.
International exchange extends beyond credit-bearing study. U.S. institutions reported 33,078 students participating in non-credit experiential activities abroad and 17,426 students participating in online global learning opportunities in 2023/24. These activities add two measured forms of global learning to the academic-credit total, but they are reported separately and should not be combined with the 298,180 study-abroad students without a common deduplication method.