In a recent article of Ross Yang Law Tips, accessible at this link, we discussed some tips on how to choose a university or school for international students. In this update, we like to look at the numbers of international students according to SEVP research. This official report is prepared by the Student Exchange Visitor Program or SEVP, which is a part of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s, or ICE’s, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
Here are the figures as of June 2017:
There are 1,184,735 students in the United States in active F or M statuses.
– F-1 is for students arriving to study in the United States, by completing an academic course of study at a certified U.S. institution.
– M-1 is for those arriving to the United States to complete a vocational course of study at a certified U.S. institution.
There are an additional 194,635 students in the United States in J-1 status.
– J-1 is for those who arrive to the U.S. to participate in an exchange program that is designed and recognized by the U.S. Department of State.
Where do these students come from?
While there are more than 231 countries and territories represented in the pool of the 1.18 million students in the U.S., an overwhelming majority of them, 77% to be exact, come from Asia.
China (362,368 students) and India (206,698 students), respectively, send the largest number of students to the United States to study. South Korea (71, 204 students) and Saudi Arabia (55,806 students) are the third and fourth countries that send the largest number of students to the United States.
Many of these students will attempt to gain legal stay and employment in the United States after completing their studies.
Overall, Nepal, India, and Vietnam have seen a rise in the number of students arriving to study in the United States, while Saudi Arabia, South Korea, and Japan saw a decline.
What type of degrees are these students receiving?
The report suggests that 33% are enrolled in a bachelor’s program, 31% are enrolled in a master’s program, and 12% are enrolled in a doctorate program.
What do they study?
STEM related fields remain highly popular: 39% in Engineering, 28% in Computer and Information Sciences, and 8% in Biological and Biomedical Sciences.
– In STEM fields, India sent the largest number of students (173,258 or 84% of all students from India); China sent 152,002; Saudi Arabia was next with 25,125 students; and South Korea was last with 16,474 students.
Where do these students arrive to study?
Geographically, there is a relatively equal percentage of students studying throughout the mainland U.S.: 25.4% in the West, 26.4% in the South, 27.3% in the Northeast, and 20.4% in the Midwest.
In our home state of California, the prestigious University of Southern California (USC) hosted the most international students at a figure of 13,365. In the East coast, New York University (NYU) hosted the highest with 15,386, followed by Northeastern University with 12,372, and the elite Columbia University with 11,585.
The states with the largest international student populations are California (200,809), New York (133,926) and Texas (86,200), respectively.
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