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INTERNATIONAL HIGHER EDUCATION

International Student Mobility and the United States: The 2007 Open Doors Survey

Patricia Chow and Rachel Marcus
Patricia Chow is research manager and Rachel Marcus is research officer, Institute of International Education. E-mail: iieresearch@iie.org. More information about the Open Doors survey can be found at: http://opendoors.iietnetwork.org.

In 2005, more than 2.7 million students were pursuing transnational higher education—a 47 percent increase over the 2000 figure of 1.7 million students. A concurrent increase has occurred in the number of students seeking an international education in nontraditional destinations in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Several countries in these regions have positioned themselves as key actors in the global economy, attracting more students to their shores. Despite these developments, the United States continues to be the top host country for students seeking higher education abroad. In 2006, the United States attracted 30 percent of internationally mobile students among the leading eight host countries (Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan, and the United Kingdom).

This article draws upon key findings from the International Student Census of the recent Open Doors 2007: Report on International Educational Exchange to describe the current international student population in the United States and to examine the future trends in international enrollment. The Institute of International Education (IIE) has collected data on international student enrollment in the United States since 1919 and in the form of the Open Doors survey since 1954. Annually, Open Doors surveys approximately 3,000 regionally accredited US higher education institutions on aspects of international educational exchange. The 2007 survey reported 582,984 international students studying in the United States during the 2006/07 academic year—a 3 percent increase over the previous year and the first significant increase in total international student enrollment since 2001/02. In addition, the number of new international students—those enrolling at a US higher education institution for the first time—increased by 10 percent, building upon the 8 percent increase seen in 2005/06.

Origins
Asia remains the largest sending region, accounting for 59 percent of total US international enrollments. The number of students from Asia increased by 5 percent this year, driven by increases from the top two sending places: India (10% increase) and China (8% increase). For the seventh consecutive year, India remained the leading place of origin of international students in the United States, with 83,833 students. China remained in second place, with 67,723 students and the Republic of Korea in third place, with 62,392 students.

Turning to other regions, in 2006/07 we saw a 25 percent increase in the number of students from the Middle East (to 22,321 students), largely due to the 129 percent increase in student numbers from Saudi Arabia (to 7,886 students)—the result of a large Saudi Arabian government scholarship program launched in 2005. Enrollments from Latin America remained steady in 2006/07, with Mexico sending the most students from the region (13,826). Kenya, with 6,349 students, was the only African country in the top 20 places of origin this year. The number of international students from Europe and Oceania declined in 2006/07, to 82,731 and 4,300, respectively. Europe and Oceania are the only two world regions where the number of US students studying abroad in the region exceeds the number of students from the region studying in the United States.

Student Profile and Fields of Study
Over the past 30 years, Open Doors data have indicated small but significant shifts in the demographics of international students. In 2006/07, 45 percent of international students in the United States were female, a 14 percent increase from the 1976/77 figure of 31 percent. Also, a larger proportion of international students were single in 2006/07 (87%), compared to 30 years ago (74%).

As has been the case since 2001/02, international graduate students outnumbered international undergraduate students in 2006/07. Forty-five percent of international students were graduate students, 41 percent undergraduates, and 14 percent nondegree/certificate students or students on optional practical training.

Business and management remain the leading field of study for international students, with 18 percent of the total, followed by engineering with 15 percent. These two fields have been the most popular fields of study for international students over the past five years. International students in the United States have a particularly large presence in sciences and engineering: in 2006, non-US citizens earned 45 percent of all doctorates in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields, and accounted for over half of all doctorate recipients in the fields of engineering, computer science, mathematics, and physics (National Science Foundation, 2007 www.nsf.gov).

Destinations
International students were enrolled in all 50 US states in 2006/07 highly concentrated in certain states and institutions. The 156 US campuses that enrolled (each) over 1,000 international students, accounted for 58 percent of total international student enrollment. The top host states are also home to many of the top host institutions. Colleges and universities in California enrolled the largest number of international students (77,987, or 13% of the total), followed by New York (65,884 students, or 11 percent of the total). New York City was the leading metropolitan area, with 51,973 students, followed by Los Angeles, with 35,870 international students. Students tend to cluster in areas with geographic and linguistic similarities to their home country, as well as an area with a large student or immigrant population from their home country.

Future Trends in International Student Enrollment
These Open Doors findings, supported by similar data collected by the Council of Graduate Schools and other surveys, suggest that the number of international students in the United States has rebounded and that the United States has not lost its attraction as a destination of choice for international students. In addition to providing high-quality teaching, the American higher education system is also esteemed throughout the world because of the availability of advanced technological facilities and extensive support for basic and applied research.

Meanwhile, US institutions have stepped up recruitment of international students and adjusted their application procedures and admissions timetables to accommodate the lead time needed for visa approval. These university-level efforts have been complemented by the US Department of State's steps to streamline the visa application and approval process and to promote the US as a welcoming place for international students.

While the results of these efforts by government and academia appear to be turning the tide, more comprehensive steps need to be taken to ensure that this trend continues. Other countries have also intensified efforts to attract international students, eliminating visa barriers and strengthening their graduate programs, especially in the sciences and engineering. Although the falling dollar may provide some relief, tuition costs in the United States continue to rise, ranging from an increase of 6.6 percent for public universities, to 4.2 percent for public two-year institutions. With the financial burden largely falling upon individuals and their families (62% of international students use personal/family funds to pay for their US education), it remains to be seen whether these increases will affect students' decisions to study in the United States. Widely disseminating information on financial resources and expanding financing options may help to alleviate the burden.

Authors' Note: The Open Doors Project has received support from the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the US Department of State since the early 1970s. The opinions expressed in this article are entirely those of the authors.

[Online] Available: http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/soe/cihe/newsletter/Number50/p13_Chow_Marcus.htm