International students studying in the United States come from all over the world and are highly diverse. While their choices of universities in the U.S. vary, some states are more attractive to international students than others.
According to the annual report by the Institute of International Education (IIE), there were 1,078,822 international students in the United States in the 2016-2017 academic year, compared to only 583,000 ten years ago.
International students are present in all 50 U.S. states, but some states are more popular than others and host a larger number of international students.
Students from China and India account for half of the total international student population
International students studying in the U.S. come from over 200 countries, with students from China and India accounting for half of the total.
China remains the largest source of international students in the U.S. In the 2016/2017 academic year, the total number of Chinese students in the U.S. was 350,755, an increase of 6.8% over the previous year, accounting for 32.5% of the total international student population in the U.S.
The number of Chinese undergraduate students in the U.S. reached 142,851, an increase of 5.3% over the previous academic year, accounting for 41% of the total number of Chinese students in the U.S.; there were 128,320 Chinese students at the graduate level, an increase of 4.1% over the previous academic year.
States with diverse populations and abundant job opportunities attract international students
The U.S. News & World Report website recently reported that California is the most popular state for international students. In the 2016-2017 academic year, California's universities attracted 156,879 international students. In California, the preferred destination for international students for higher education is the University of Southern California, which enrolled 14,327 international students, followed by several schools within the University of California system.
Following California, the most popular state for international students is New York, which had over 118,000 international students in the 2016-2017 academic year.
Rajika Bhandari, head of research, policy, and practice at the Institute of International Education, stated that certain regions in the U.S. are more attractive to international students, and the factors attracting them are diverse, including population diversity and access to industry.
Texas is also very popular with international students. Bhandari said that Texas ranks third among the states most popular with international students and is also a hub for engineering and technology. She noted that internship and job opportunities are important factors for international students when deciding where to study.
The following are the ten states with the highest number of international students
California
Number of international students in the 2016-2017 academic year: 156,879
Compared to the 2015-2016 academic year: 5.1% increase
Compared to the 2015-2016 academic year, number of newly enrolled students: 2.8% decrease
New York
Number of international students in the 2016-2017 academic year: 118,424
Compared to the 2015-2016 academic year: 3.6% increase
Compared to the 2015-2016 academic year, number of newly enrolled students: 1.4% decrease
Texas
Number of international students in the 2016-2017 academic year: 85,116
Compared to the 2015-2016 academic year: 3.6% increase
Compared to the 2015-2016 academic year, number of newly enrolled students: 12.2% decrease
Massachusetts
Number of international students in the 2016-2017 academic year: 62,926
Compared to the 2015-2016 academic year: 5.9% increase
Compared to the 2015-2016 academic year, number of newly enrolled students: 7.9% increase
Illinois
Number of international students in the 2016-2017 academic year: 52,225
Compared to the 2015-2016 academic year: 3.8% increase
Compared to the 2015-2016 academic year, number of newly enrolled students: 8.5% decrease
Pennsylvania
Number of international students in the 2016-2017 academic year: 51,129
Compared to the 2015-2016 academic year: 5.5% increase
Compared to the 2015-2016 academic year, number of newly enrolled students: N/A
Florida
Number of international students in the 2016-2017 academic year: 45,718
Compared to the 2015-2016 academic year: 5.2% increase
Compared to the 2015-2016 academic year, number of newly enrolled students: 5.4% decrease
Ohio
Number of international students in the 2016-2017 academic year: 38,680
Compared to the 2015-2016 academic year: 2.5% increase
Compared to the 2015-2016 academic year, number of newly enrolled students: 8% decrease
Michigan
Number of international students in the 2016-2017 academic year: 34,296
Compared to the 2015-2016 academic year: 1.3% increase
Compared to the 2015-2016 academic year, number of newly enrolled students: 4.4% decrease
Indiana
Number of international students in the 2016-2017 academic year: 30,600
Compared to the 2015-2016 academic year: 4.7% increase
Compared to the 2015-2016 academic year, number of newly enrolled students: 7.5% decrease
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