Not just Harvard: See where 1.2 million international students learn in the US
The Trump administration is targeting Harvard's international student program, attempting to revoke student visas for Chinese nationals, and initiating deportation proceedings for students who participate in pro-Palestinian protests. So we took a look at where foreign college students in the United States are based. Here's what we found:
The latest data available from Immigration and Customs Enforcement is from 2023 — it gives details of people receiving an F-1 visa, which is the most common type for international students, scholars, and trainees. While private schools such as Harvard do receive large numbers of students, so do major public universities.
How many international students are at U.S. colleges?
As many as 1.5 million international students were in the United States in 2023 using F-1 or M-1 visas, based on a count of records in a system managed by the Department of Homeland Security. Just under 1.4 million of those were seeking degrees in 2022, and there could be duplicates due to people seeking more than one degree at the same time.
A big portion of these international students were not enrolled that year, but instead participated in post-graduate training programs. For example, Columbia University wrote in its 2023 annual report that it had just under 14,000 enrolled international students, plus about 6,500 students in training programs, and about 3,000 scholars.
Of the universities granting the most F-1 visas, the top 500 had more than 1.2 million international students combined, according to USA TODAY's analysis. This is the type of visa required to enroll in a degree program, including associates degrees, bachelor's degrees, masters degrees, and doctorates. The vast majority are pursuing bachelor's and masters degrees, according to the Department of Homeland Security. Foreign nationals can also receive F-1 visas to work in their field of study for up to three years, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Which college has the most international students?
The college campus with the most international students that year was New York University, with nearly 25,000 F-1 visas issued at its main campus, and about 7,500 issued at its Brooklyn campus. Other campuses with high international populations were in other major cities — Northeastern University (Boston), Columbia University (New York), and the University of Southern California (Los Angeles).
Which public schools have the highest number of foreign student visas?
Arizona State University had nearly 18,000 international students in 2023, the data shows, placing it fifth on the list. Other public universities with major international student populations were the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; the University of North Texas, and Purdue University in Indiana.
How many international students are at Harvard?
In 2023, Harvard did not rank in the top 20 of U.S. colleges for foreign students, according to the data. The university ranked No. 21 nationwide, and third in the Boston area, behind Northeastern University and Boston University. The school had about 9,700 F-1 visa students in 2023, according to the data.
The Trump administration on May 22 attempted to rescind Harvard's participation in the Student and Exchange Visitor Program, which certifies schools to allow them to enroll international students, including F-1 visa holders. The administration eased up a week later and introduced a process to allow Harvard to argue that it should be able to use the program.
The Trump administration is targeting Harvard's international student program, attempting to revoke student visas for Chinese nationals, and initiating deportation proceedings for students who participate in pro-Palestinian protests. So we took a look at where foreign college students in the United States are based. Here's what we found:
The latest data available from Immigration and Customs Enforcement is from 2023 — it gives details of people receiving an F-1 visa, which is the most common type for international students, scholars, and trainees. While private schools such as Harvard do receive large numbers of students, so do major public universities.
How many international students are at U.S. colleges?
As many as 1.5 million international students were in the United States in 2023 using F-1 or M-1 visas, based on a count of records in a system managed by the Department of Homeland Security. Just under 1.4 million of those were seeking degrees in 2022, and there could be duplicates due to people seeking more than one degree at the same time.
A big portion of these international students were not enrolled that year, but instead participated in post-graduate training programs. For example, Columbia University wrote in its 2023 annual report that it had just under 14,000 enrolled international students, plus about 6,500 students in training programs, and about 3,000 scholars.
Of the universities granting the most F-1 visas, the top 500 had more than 1.2 million international students combined, according to USA TODAY's analysis. This is the type of visa required to enroll in a degree program, including associates degrees, bachelor's degrees, masters degrees, and doctorates. The vast majority are pursuing bachelor's and masters degrees, according to the Department of Homeland Security. Foreign nationals can also receive F-1 visas to work in their field of study for up to three years, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Which college has the most international students?
The college campus with the most international students that year was New York University, with nearly 25,000 F-1 visas issued at its main campus, and about 7,500 issued at its Brooklyn campus. Other campuses with high international populations were in other major cities — Northeastern University (Boston), Columbia University (New York), and the University of Southern California (Los Angeles).
Which public schools have the highest number of foreign student visas?
Arizona State University had nearly 18,000 international students in 2023, the data shows, placing it fifth on the list. Other public universities with major international student populations were the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; the University of North Texas, and Purdue University in Indiana.
How many international students are at Harvard?
In 2023, Harvard did not rank in the top 20 of U.S. colleges for foreign students, according to the data. The university ranked No. 21 nationwide, and third in the Boston area, behind Northeastern University and Boston University. The school had about 9,700 F-1 visa students in 2023, according to the data.
The Trump administration on May 22 attempted to rescind Harvard's participation in the Student and Exchange Visitor Program, which certifies schools to allow them to enroll international students, including F-1 visa holders. The administration eased up a week later and introduced a process to allow Harvard to argue that it should be able to use the program.
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