International students have returned to US colleges

WASHINGTON

International students attended U.S. universities in surging numbers last year, rebounding from a pandemic slump with the help of a 35 percent jump in students coming from India, according to a study released yesterday.

Overall, the number of international students in the U.S. grew by 12 percent in the 2022-23 academic year, the largest single-year increase in more than 40 years, according to findings from the State Department and the nonprofit Institute of International Education.

More than 1 million students came from abroad, the most since the 2019-20 school year.

American colleges enrolled nearly 269,000 students from India, more than ever and second only to China. Most came for graduate programs, often in science, technology and business.

China still accounted for the most foreign students in the U.S. with 290,000, but its numbers decreased for a third consecutive year.

It reflects a gradual shift. After years of booming demand from China, interest has ebbed amid chilly international relations and increased competition from universities in the United Kingdom and Canada. Officials behind the new study also blame prolonged travel restrictions in Asia during the pandemic.

For the second consecutive year, America's graduate programs were the main attraction for international students.

Graduate enrollment grew by 21 percent, while undergraduate numbers ticked up 1 percent. It reverses a trend from the previous decade, which saw undergraduates come in larger numbers.

Much of last year's growth is credited to math and computer science programs, which attracted more students than any other subject and saw a 20 percent boost in enrollment over the previous year.

Engineering and business followed behind. Taken together, those three fields account for more than half of all international students in the United States.

The surge nearly brings international numbers back to their pre-pandemic highs, with a peak of almost 1.1 million students in 2018.

Overall, international students made up just 5.6 percent of all college students in the 2022-23 year, but they play an outsize role in U.S. higher education.

University leaders say they're important for global exchange, and they're also important for revenue — international students are usually charged higher tuition rates, effectively subsidizing college for U.S. students.

Behind China and India, nations sending the most students to the U.S. were South Korea, Canada, Vietnam, Taiwan and Nigeria.

Last school year saw a record number of students come from Bangladesh, Colombia, Ghana, India, Italy, Nepal, Pakistan and Spain.