Increase in international students in the USA in 2024

The SEVIS by the Numbers report on 2024 shows that there were 1,582,808 active international student F-1 or M-1 records in the USA, an increase of 5.3 per cent over the previous year and surpassing the pre-pandemic total of 1,523,758 in 2019.

Active student records are defined as being in the USA and engaged in a program of study. A student may have more than one active record in a calendar year if they take more than one program, so total student records are higher than the overall number of students.

Source markets: Having overtaken China in 2023, India remained the top source country with 422,335 student records, an 11.8 per cent increase, while China dropped slightly to 329,541 students.

Growth by world region in 2024. Graphic source – ICE/SEVIS by the Numbers

The top five was completed by South Korea (61,277 students, -3.2 per cent); Canada (46,536, +6 per cent); and Brazil (44,721, +7.2).

Among the major growth markets in 2024 were Ghana (+33.7 per cent to 14,937 students), Zimbabwe (+32.4 per cent to 3,526), Kyrgyzstan (+48.6 per cent to 2,182), and Turkmenistan (+43.9 per cent to 1,189).

However, the latter was one of the countries listed in the recent travel ban, with travel on new F, M and J visas suspended. Of the countries on the banned list, Iran was the most prominent in 2024 with 14,113 active students.

By world region, African had the largest year-on-year increase at 10.3 per cent, followed by Asia and North America (both six per cent). Europe was the only world region to decrease in 2024, down by 1.3 per cent.

At the time of writing, the USA Department of State has paused new student visa interviews while update social media vetting guidelines are finalized, a measure that has been criticized by international education industry stakeholders and may impact on recruitment in the current calendar year.

Study level: There were 667,622 international students on a master’s degree in the 2024 calendar year, which represented a 9.7 per cent increase from 2023, while 464,843 pursued a bachelor’s program, up by 1.5 per cent.

There were also 214,824 students on doctoral degrees, which was growth of 4.1 per cent over the previous year, and 87,459 F-1 students on associate degrees, up by 9.8 per cent.

Study subject: Computer Science was the most popular primary major with 118,137 students, followed by second language learning on 95,747, and business administration and management (88,257).

K-12 Schools: There were 54,356 international student records of F-1 students at K-12 schools in 2024, a very slight decrease compared with the previous year.

China remained the top source country with 14,515 students, a 1.3 per cent increase, followed by Vietnam with 4,252 students, growth of 33.4 per cent. The top five was completed by South Korea (3,811 students, -6.1 per cent); Mexico (3,440 students, -7.8 per cent); and Canada (2,889 students).

Student records in the major host states. Source – ICE/SEVIS by the Numbers.

Optional Practical Training: Immigration and Customs Enforcement said that there were 199,554 pre- and post-completion Optional Practical Training (OPT) students with an employment authorization document and who reported working for an employer in 2024, a 21.1 per cent increase over the previous year and the fourth consecutive year of growth.

Students from India accounted for 48 per cent of all participants in the 24-month STEM OPT extension, followed by Chinese students (20.4).

Amazon was the top employer for both OPT and STEM OPT students, followed by Google, Microsoft and Meta in the latter category.

International education industry stakeholders have expressed concern after the nominee to be Director of US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) said that he wanted to end the OPT post-study work scheme during a confirmation hearing before the Senate.

New York University was the top host institution of F-1 visa students in 2024.

Schools: In 2024 there were 7,234 schools certified by SEVP to host international students, a decline compared with 7,683 in the previous year.

Of those certified, 1,272 enrolled between 101 and 1,000 international students in 2024, and only 323 schools hosted more than 1,001 international students. Some 3,871 schools – more than half of the certified base – hosted less than 50 students.

For F-1 student visa holders, New York University was the top host school with 25,617 students, followed by Northeastern University (24,968), Columbia University in the City of New York (24,042), University of Southern California (20,562), and Arizona State University (20,114).

For vocational M-1 visas, Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry was the top host with 733 students, followed by CAE Oxford Aviation Academy Phoenix (725). The majority of vocational schools listed were flight training providers.

Among K-12 providers, EF Academy International Boarding Schools was the top enrolled with 576 F-1 visa students, followed by Layton Christian Academy (536), CATS Global Schools Boston (529), IMG Academy (500), Archdiocese of Los Angeles (422) and Montverde Academy (391).

J-1 Exchange Visitors: The SEVIS by the Numbers report also provides data on J-1 exchange visitors, and shows that there were 300,940 participants in 2024, a 0.7 per cent increase.

The Council On International Educational Exchange (CIEE) was the most prominent sponsor of J-1 students with 28,849, followed by Intrax (14,944), the US Department of State (14,431), InterExchange (13,961), and the American Institute for Foreign Study.