Open Doors of the Institute of International Education has just released a report on international students. The table below lists international students’ top 25 places of origin from 2015 to 2016.  The total number of foreign students receiving a higher education in the United States has surpassed one million. This is a 7.1% increase up from the previous year.  60 percent of the international students attending U.S. colleges are from top five countries of origin: China (31.5%), India (15.9%), Saudi Arabia (5.9%), South Korea (5.8%), and Canada (2.6%).

(source: Open Doors Data)

TOP 25 PLACES OF ORIGIN OF INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS 2015-16
Rank Place of Origin 2014-15 2015-16 % of Total % Change
WORLD TOTAL 974,926 1,043,839 100.0 7.1
1 China 304,040 328,547 31.5 8.1
2 India 132,888 165,918 15.9 24.9
3 Saudi Arabia 59,945 61,287 5.9 2.2
4 South Korea 63,710 61,007 5.8 -4.2
5 Canada 27,240 26,973 2.6 -1.0
6 Vietnam 18,722 21,403 2.1 14.3
7 Taiwan 20,993 21,127 2.0 0.6
8 Brazil 23,675 19,370 1.9 -18.2
9 Japan 19,064 19,060 1.8 0.0
10 Mexico 17,052 16,733 1.6 -1.9
11 Iran 11,338 12,269 1.2 8.2
12 United Kingdom 10,743 11,599 1.1 8.0
13 Turkey 10,724 10,691 1.0 -0.3
14 Nigeria 9,494 10,674 1.0 12.4
15 Germany 10,193 10,145 1.0 -0.5
16 Kuwait 9,034 9,772 0.9 8.2
17 Nepal 8,158 9,662 0.9 18.4
18 France 8,743 8,764 0.8 0.2
19 Indonesia 8,188 8,727 0.8 6.6
20 Venezuela 7,890 8,267 0.8 4.8
21 Hong Kong 8,012 7,923 0.8 -1.1
22 Malaysia 7,231 7,834 0.8 8.3
23 Colombia 7,169 7,815 0.7 9.0
24 Thailand 7,217 7,113 0.7 -1.4
25 Spain 6,143 6,640 0.6 8.1

 

For more info on international students receiving U.S. higher education please read the latest report from the Institute of International Education.