The Institute of International Education (IIE) released its 2024 Open Doors Report last month, revealing that the total number of international students in the United States has reached its highest level ever. However, students participating in Optional Practical Training (OPT) played a key role in reaching this milestone, as more students stayed in the US after graduation to gain work experience. By comparison, while international student enrolments continued to grow in 2023/24, they still did not reach the peak set in 2016/17.
With these facts in mind, we’re exploring the latest US enrolment trends, including shifts at the undergraduate and graduate levels. We’ll also examine the student populations driving these shifts, and how changes in these areas are influencing fields of study. These insights can help American institutions strategically plan their student recruitment for 2025 and beyond.
Key Insights at a Glance
- The US hosted over 1.1 million international students in 2023/24, including 884,000 student enrolments.1
- The number of new international enrolments leveled out in 2023/24, matching the 299,000 figure from 2022/23. New graduate enrolments were up 4%, while new undergraduate enrolments fell 2%.
- The total number of students from Burma/Myanmar, Bangladesh, and Ghana at the undergraduate level grew over 30% in 2023/24 compared to the previous year.
- Students from Ghana and Bangladesh were also the two fastest-growing populations for enrolments at the graduate level, making them strong candidates for targeted recruitment efforts.
- Including those in OPT, over 70% of students from India, Iran, Bangladesh, and Nepal pursued STEM opportunities in 2023/24.
OPT Drives New High-Water Mark for International Students in the US
After years of post-pandemic recovery, last year saw a new record for international students in the US. Over 1.1 million international students studied or participated in Optional Practical Training (OPT) in the US in 2023/24:
The 1.1 million students in the US in 2023/24 reflect a 7% increase over the previous academic year. This growth was largely driven by a 22% rise in OPT placements, which reached an all-time high over the past year. This increase in pre- and post-graduation temporary employment shows strong student interest in gaining practical work experience, a trend that we observed when surveying future international students in our Fall 2024 Student Pulse survey.
Meanwhile, international student enrolments totaled 884,000 in 2023/24, marking a 3% year-over-year increase and a new post-pandemic high. However, this figure remains 2% below the peak set in the 2016/17 academic year, leaving room for further growth.
In 2023/24, international students accounted for nearly 6% of all students—foreign and domestic—in the US.
New International Enrolment Growth in the US Slows in 2023/24
While total international student numbers were up year-over-year, new enrolment growth was more limited. In 2022/23, new international student enrolments nearly returned to their previous all-time high after growing 14% over the previous academic year. This set the stage for a possibly explosive 2023/24, especially given shifting student visa policies in Canada and the United Kingdom. Instead, new enrolment growth slowed:
Total new enrolments in 2023/24 stood at 299,000, just below the peak level set in 2015/16. This figure was bolstered by growth at the graduate level, which was up 4% in 2023/24 over the previous academic year.
But the new enrolment gains at the graduate level barely offset the downward trends at the undergraduate and non-degree levels, both of which have been declining since 2015/16 (except for a brief rebound following 2020/21). New undergraduate enrolments dropped 2% to 94,000 in 2023/24, while non-degree enrolments saw a steep 16% decline.
These Student Populations are Driving Undergraduate Enrolment in the US
Undergraduate enrolments and total international undergraduate populations both dropped in the past twelve months. In 2023/24, 343,000 international students were enrolled at the undergraduate level in the US, a 1% decrease from the previous academic year. However, several student populations grew significantly at this study level compared to 2022/23:
Chinese students accounted for one in every four international undergraduate students in the US in 2023/24. However, their 88,000 enrolments represent a 13% decline over the previous academic year, continuing a downward trend that began in 2018/19. This trend likely reflects China’s continuing growth as a study destination and underscores the importance for institutions in established destinations to diversify their student recruitment efforts.
That said, there’s also some good news for institutions on the diversification front. Many of the largest student populations worldwide are increasingly interested in undergraduate studies in the US. For example, undergraduate enrolments by Indian students, the second-largest population at this level of study, grew by 13% in 2023/24. Expectations of sustained future growth should be tempered, though: like China, India is heavily investing in its own international education sector, which could further drive significant shifts in student flows by 2030.
Meanwhile, the three fastest-growing student populations in the undergraduate level in 2023/24 were from Burma/Myanmar (+39%), Bangladesh (+35%), and Ghana (+33%).2 In general, the US is increasingly attracting more undergraduate students from south and central Asia. Among these countries, 12 had over 100 enrolments, and 10 experienced year-over-year growth.3 This shows that institutions looking to increase their undergraduate diversity should aim to attract more students from these high-interest student regions.
These Student Populations are Driving Graduate Enrolment in the US
While undergraduate populations declined slightly last year, interest in graduate-level education in the US grew significantly after the pandemic. Enrolments rose 8% in 2023/24 compared to 2022/23, exceeding half a million students overall. These are the student populations driving that growth:
It’s been a swift rise to the top for India, as graduate enrolments have nearly doubled since the 2021/22 academic year.4 The 197,000 Indian students pursuing graduate studies in the US in 2023/24 represented a growth of 18% over the previous academic year, with these students accounting for 39% of all graduate students.
Yet Ghana (+54%) and Bangladesh (+24%) were the two fastest-growing student populations at the graduate level in 2023/24.5 Since these two countries also rank among the top three for undergraduate studies, they offer strong opportunities for institutions to attract students at both levels with targeted recruitment efforts.
Learn more about how Ghana is poised to help drive increased international student diversity.
These Student Populations Pursue STEM Opportunities in the US
Sciences, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) occupations in the US are projected to grow by over 10% in the next decade, offering median wages more than double those of non-STEM roles. These high-growth, high-earning fields are especially appealing to students from the following populations:
In 2023/24, over 70% of students from India, Iran, Bangladesh, and Nepal pursued STEM opportunities in the US. While significant year-over-year changes are limited, this is because OPT data is included in the field of study numbers, reflecting students remaining in the US for up to three additional years to pursue work opportunities.6
What is notable is how these major student populations vary in their interest across STEM fields. For example, 43% of Indian students pursued math and computer science programs, significantly outpacing all other student populations. The second largest proportion of students in this field were Nepalese students at 30%.
No student population had a larger proportion pursuing physical and life sciences than Nepal’s 18% in 2023/24. Learn more about how Nepal is altering the international student landscape.
By contrast, Iranian and Bangladeshi students were highly focused on engineering programs, with 46% and 33% of each respective student population pursuing this field. And for institutions aiming to grow their health studies programs, Nigerian students are a key demographic to keep in mind. Over 11% of Nigerian students pursued opportunities in health professions, with an additional nearly 18% pursuing physical and life sciences.
Looking Forward
As the landscape of international education continues to evolve, US institutions must proactively adapt their recruitment strategies to align with shifting student priorities. The trends which IIE’s most recent Open Doors Report highlighted truly underscore the importance of leveraging data to refine recruitment strategies. They also show how monitoring shifts in enrolment patterns and field-specific interests can help institutions stay ahead of global competition.
With traditional markets like China facing declining enrolments and investing in their own education sectors, institutions in destinations like the US must expand their outreach to emerging markets. Countries such as Bangladesh, Ghana, and Nepal are demonstrating strong growth across multiple study levels and offer significant potential for sustained engagement.
Likewise, the demand for STEM fields—coupled with robust OPT options—remains a powerful draw for students worldwide. Institutions should highlight study-to-career pathways in high-demand STEM disciplines while also ensuring their programs in other fields, like health professions, align with evolving student interests and workforce needs.
This alignment is especially critical as students increasingly prioritize destinations that offer strong pathways to employment. Indeed, institutions should actively communicate the benefits of OPT and other work opportunities to prospective students, reinforcing the value of an American education in achieving long-term career goals.
By embracing these strategies, US institutions can not only navigate current challenges but also position themselves to attract the next generation of international students. In an increasingly competitive global education sector, flexibility, innovation, and a commitment to understanding student priorities will be the keys to sustained success.
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FOOTNOTES:
1. All data courtesy of the Institute of International Education (IIE) Open Doors Report.
2. Minimum of 1,500 total undergraduate enrolments.
3. Student populations in the undergraduate level from south and central Asian countries that grew in 2023/24 include Afghanistan (+25%), Bangladesh (+35%), India (+13%), Kazakhstan (+11%), Kyrgyzstan (+55%), Nepal (+19%), Pakistan (+2%), Tajikistan (+18%), Turkmenistan (+20%), and Uzbekistan (+13%).
4. There were 102,000 Indian students enrolled at the graduate level in 2021/22, meaning that this student population has grown 93% in just a two-year span.
6. While the standard duration of OPT is one year of full-time employment, graduates from eligible STEM programs may receive up to two years of additional post-completion OPT through the STEM OPT extension.
