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News

U.S. Institutions With the Most Foreign Students, 2016-17

Almanac 2018 August 19, 2018

The four doctoral institutions with the highest numbers of international students in 2016-17 were all private nonprofit institutions, but 14 public institutions were among the top 20 in that category. Together the top 20 doctoral institutions enrolled 19 percent of the 1,078,822 international students at American colleges in 2016-17. Of the top 20 master’s institutions with the highest numbers of international students, five were California State University campuses.

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The four doctoral institutions with the highest numbers of international students in 2016-17 were all private nonprofit institutions, but 14 public institutions were among the top 20 in that category. Together the top 20 doctoral institutions enrolled 19 percent of the 1,078,822 international students at American colleges in 2016-17. Of the top 20 master’s institutions with the highest numbers of international students, five were California State University campuses.


Return to the Almanac home page, or go to the Profession, Students, Finance, or States section. To purchase a copy of the Almanac in print or as a downloadable interactive PDF, visit the Chronicle Store. Help guide us to give you the data you need by taking our 10-minute online Almanac survey.


Doctoral institutions

RankInstitutionForeign
students
1. New York U. 17,326
2. U. of Southern California 14,327
3. Columbia U. 14,096
4. Northeastern U. 13,201
5. Arizona State U. 13,164
6. U. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 12,454
7. U. of California at Los Angeles 12,199
8. Purdue U. at West Lafayette 11,288
9. U. of Texas at Dallas 9,305
10. Pennsylvania State U. at University Park 9,134
11. U. of California at San Diego 9,065
12. Boston U. 8,992
13. U. of Michigan at Ann Arbor 8,163
14. U. of Washington 8,019
15. U. of California at Berkeley 8,000
16. Michigan State U. 7,779
17. Ohio State U. 7,684
18. Carnegie Mellon U. 7,653
19. Indiana U. at Bloomington 7,502
20. U. of Texas at Arlington 7,277
Total for top 20 206,628

Master’s institutions

RankInstitutionForeign
students
1. San Jose State U. 5,235
2. U. of Central Missouri 3,768
3. California State U. at Northridge 3,430
4. California State U. at Long Beach 3,354
5. New York Institute of Technology 2,598
6. City U. of New York Bernard M. Baruch College 2,572
7. U. of Bridgeport 2,208
8. U. of Illinois at Springfield 1,776
9. California State U. at Los Angeles 1,751
10. Missouri State U. 1,715
11. Fairleigh Dickinson U. 1,641
12. St. Cloud State U. 1,569
13. Southern Arkansas U. 1,408
14. Johnson and Wales U. 1,399
15. Bentley U. 1,391
16. Minnesota State U. at Mankato 1,374
17. Monroe College (N.Y.) 1,373
18. Santa Clara U. 1,367
19. U. of Central Oklahoma 1,364
20. California State U.-East Bay 1,362
Total for top 20 42,655

Baccalaureate institutions

RankInstitutionForeign
students
1. Brigham Young U.-Hawaii 1,008
2. Brigham Young U.-Idaho 952
3. Mount Holyoke College 699
4. Trine U. 566
5. Calvin College 476
6. Smith College 453
7. U. of Richmond 422
8. Bryn Mawr College 400
8. Wesleyan U. (Conn.) 400
10. Pennsylvania State U.-Penn State Erie-Behrend College 396
11. Franklin & Marshall College 380
12. Macalester College 356
13. Wellesley College 340
14. Grinnell College 329
15. Bard College 328
Total for top 15 7,505

Associate institutions

RankInstitutionForeign
students
1. Houston Community College 5,982
2. Santa Monica College (Calif.) 3,532
3. Lone Star College System (Tex.) 3,025
4. De Anza College (Calif.) 2,792
5. Northern Virginia Community College 2,027
6. Miami Dade College 1,995
7. Montgomery College (Md.) 1,933
8. Green River College (Wash.) 1,789
9. Valencia College (Fla.) 1,764
10. Diablo Valley College (Calif.) 1,641
11. Seattle Central College 1,588
12. Foothill College (Calif.) 1,516
13. Edmonds Community College (Wash.) 1,491
14. Peralta Community College District (Calif.) 1,310
15. Orange Coast College (Calif.) 1,286
Total for top 15 33,671

Special-focus institutions

RankInstitutionForeign
students
1. Academy of Art U. (Calif.) 5,156
2. Savannah College of Art and Design 2,705
3. School of Visual Arts (N.Y.) 2,269
4. Pratt Institute 1,893
5. New York Film Academy (Calif.) 1,466
6. School of the Art Institute of Chicago 1,344
7. Goldey-Beacom College (Del.) 1,246
8. Babson College 1,141
9. Massachusetts College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences 996
10. Rhode Island School of Design 972
11. California College of the Arts 822
12. ArtCenter College of Design (Calif.) 816
13. Berkeley College of New York 786
14. Musicians Institute 634
15. U. of Texas Health Science Center at Houston 587
Total for top 15 22,833

Note: International-student census data are based on a survey conducted by the Institute of International Education in partnership with the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The data represent international enrollment at 2,105 accredited U.S. institutions. Institution categories are based on the 2015 Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. Questions or comments on the Chronicle List should be sent to Ruth Hammond.

Source: Institute of International Education. “Leading Institutions by Institutional Type, 2016/17.” Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange.

A version of this article appeared in the August 24, 2018, issue.
Read other items in Students: Almanac 2018.
We welcome your thoughts and questions about this article. Please email the editors or submit a letter for publication.
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Teaching & Learning International Data
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