International student enrollment rebounds to nearly pre-pandemic levels, report says

International enrollment at colleges nationwide has rebounded to almost pre-pandemic levels, with last year’s 12% enrollment jump representing the biggest annual increase in four-plus decades, a new report shows.

The report released Monday by the New York-based nonprofit Institute of International Education puts the U.S. head count at about 1.06 million students — just shy of the roughly 1.08 million students who attended U.S. campuses in 2019.

Results were based on a survey of about 3,000 colleges and universities.

The 2019 enrollment figure plunged to about 914,000 students in the months after covid-19 shuttered campuses in March 2020, leaving many from overseas unable to return to the United States for in-person classes.

The surge likely will be welcome news to campuses that absorbed historic drops in those numbers, while in many cases also facing a slumping domestic student market.

In Pennsylvania, international student enrollment increased by nearly 10% in 2022-23, the report said.

Nationwide, international enrollment in graduate programs jumped a record-high 21% to about 467,027, while the 1% increase in international undergraduate students was the first gain in five years, according to the report.

“Over 1 million international students studying in the U.S. reflects a strong rebound,” said Allan E. Goodman, CEO of the Institute of International Education. “The (report) emphasizes that international education is resilient and also integral to universities and countries looking to support global innovation, collaboration and peace.”

The upswing appears to be continuing this fall based on a smaller survey of 630 institutions. It found numbers were up by 8% for fall 2023.

A $38 billion industry, international students account for 6% of U.S. higher education enrollment.

The report also contained good news regarding the number of U.S. students going overseas. U.S. Study Abroad saw a nearly thirteenfold increase to 188,753 students in 2021-22, the most current numbers available. Italy, the United Kingdom, Spain, France and Germany were the top destinations for U.S. students.

The 48,593 students from overseas who are enrolled on Pennsylvania campuses made it the sixth-largest host state, trailing California, New York, Texas, Massachusetts and Illinois, the report said.

Penn State University had the 16^th-largest enrollment nationally from overseas and the highest among Pennsylvania schools at 9,161.

Next largest student totals in Pennsylvania belonged to Carnegie Mellon University (9,009 students, 17th nationally), the University of Pennsylvania at (8,614 students, 19th nationally), the University of Pittsburgh (3,598 students) and Drexel University (3,051 students).

China, India and South Korea account for almost six in 10 overseas students in Pennsylvania, according to the report.

Among countries sending students to U.S. campuses, China topped all others once again at 289,526. Next was India, up by 35% to a record-high 268,923, the report said.

Nationally, New York University had the largest international student population at 24,496, followed by Northeastern University (20,637), Columbia University (19,001), Arizona State University Campus Immersion (17,981) and the University of Southern California (17,264).