F, M students up 2.9 percent; F, M STEM students up 10.1 percent from November 2015
High resolution
infographics available for download at https://www.dvidshub.net/unit/ICE.
WASHINGTON — There are 1.23 million international students with
F (academic) or M (vocational) status studying at 8,697 schools in the United
States according to the latest "SEVIS by
the Numbers." This quarterly report on international student trends is
prepared by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP), part of U.S.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations
(HSI).
The report, released Thursday by SEVP, highlights November 2016
data from the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS), a web-based
system that includes information about international students, exchange
visitors and their dependents while they are in the United States.
Based on data extracted from SEVIS Nov. 7, the international
student population increased 2.9 percent compared to November 2015, but the
number of SEVP-certified schools decreased one percent during the same timeframe.
California, New York and Texas had the highest international student enrollment
in the United States, with the largest number of students in these states coming
from China, India and South Korea. International students in these states chose
to major in business and engineering more than any other field of study.
Arkansas and Alabama saw the highest percentage increases in
international student enrollment compared to the previous year, at 14 and 13
percent, respectively.
Seventy-six percent of all international students studying in
the U.S. pursued bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral degrees. California, New
York, Texas and Massachusetts were the top states for enrollment at these
educational levels. When compared to the previous year, the following states
saw the most notable percentage growth in international students pursuing higher
education degrees: international students pursuing bachelor’s degrees in
Alabama increased 13.3 percent, international students pursuing master’s
degrees in Virginia increased 21.4 percent, and international students pursuing
doctoral degrees in Oregon increased 20.5 percent.
Nearly 42 percent of all F and M students pursued studies in
science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. This marks a
10.1 percent increase in international students pursuing STEM studies compared
to November 2015.
Out of the nearly 514,000 international students pursuing
STEM studies, almost 450,000 were from Asia, with the majority of all STEM students
from India and China. While only 1,288 international students from Australia
and the Pacific Islands pursued STEM studies in the U.S., this geographic area had
the largest percentage growth among STEM students at 15 percent.
The
top three states for both overall international student enrollment and STEM
student enrollment were California, Texas and New York. Over the last five
years, the number of overall international students increased 49 percent in
California, 34.5 percent in Texas and 30.3 percent in New York. The number of
STEM students increased 103.8 percent in California, 79.3 percent in Texas and
68.2 percent in New York during the same timeframe. Connecticut, Massachusetts
and Virginia saw especially notable growth in STEM students compared to
November 2015, at 20 percent, 14 percent and 17 percent respectively.
Among U.S. schools, New York University, the University of
Southern California, Northeastern University, Columbia University, and Arizona
State University had the largest international student populations. More than
11,500 international students enrolled at each school in November.
The full “SEVIS by the Numbers” report can be viewed here.
Report data was extracted from SEVIS Nov. 7. The report captures a point-in-time
snapshot of data related to international students studying in the United
States. Data for the previous "SEVIS by the Numbers" report was
extracted from SEVIS in July 2016.
Individuals can explore more international student data from
current and previous "SEVIS by the Numbers" reports by visiting the
Study in the States interactive mapping tool. This information
is accessible at the continent, region and country level and includes
information on gender and education levels, as well as international student
populations by state, broken down by geographical areas across the globe.
SEVP monitors more than one million international students
pursuing academic or vocational studies (F and M visa holders) in the United
States and their dependents. It also certifies the schools and programs that
enroll these students. The U.S. Department of State monitors exchange visitors
(J visa holders) and their dependents, and oversees exchange visitor programs.
Both SEVP and the Department of State use SEVIS to protect
national security by ensuring that students, visitors and schools comply with
U.S. laws. SEVP also collects and shares SEVIS information with government
partners, including U.S. Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Citizenship and
Immigration Services, so only legitimate international students and exchange
visitors gain entry into the United States.
HSI reviews SEVIS records for potential violations and refers
cases with possible national security risks or public safety concerns to its
field offices for further investigation. Additionally, SEVP’s Analysis and
Operations Center reviews student and school records for administrative
compliance with federal regulations related to studying in the United States.
Learn more about SEVP at www.ICE.gov/SEVP.
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