10 universities that attract the most international students
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The number of international students continues to grow at many colleges and universities across the U.S.
A study from the Institute of International Education finds that the number of international students at U.S. colleges and universities increased by 10 percent during the 2014-2015 school year, the most recent year for which data were available, compared with the prior year.
The report finds 974,926 students from abroad studied at U.S. colleges and universities during the 2014-2015 school year. Latin America and the Caribbean represents the fastest-growing region of origin for international students in the U.S., increasing by 19 percent in fall 2014, according to the study.
Top 10 universities with the most international students:
The top 10 universities with the most international undergraduates, on average, had around 22 percent of students from abroad in fall 2014 – an increase of 1 percentage point compared with the prior year, according to data submitted to U.S. News by 266 ranked schools. These schools, on average, had 7,216 undergraduates enrolled during that same year.
Florida Institute of Technology had the highest proportion of international students enrolled of any National University at 32.9 percent in fall 2014. A National University is an institution that offers a full range of undergraduate majors as well as master's and doctoral programs.
The South Florida university regularly has the highest percentage of international students among National Universities and increased its share by 5 percentage points from the previous year, U.S. News data show.
The New School, located in New York City, took second place with 31.7 percent of its 6,695 undergraduates coming from overseas. Compared with the 2014-2015 academic year, the Manhattan university increased its enrollment of international students by 3 percentage points.
The school with the least international students was South Carolina State University at 0.1 percent for the 2014-2015 school year; the historically black university has 2,791 undergraduates.
Below are the top 10 National Universities where international students make up the largest percentages of the degree-seeking undergraduate student body in 2014-2015, based on data reported to U.S. News in a 2015 survey. Unranked schools, which did not meet certain criteria required by U.S. News to be numerically ranked, were not considered for this report.
National University (state) | Percentage of international students | Total undergraduate enrollment | U.S. News rank |
|---|---|---|---|
32.9% | 3,636 | 161 (tie) | |
31.7% | 6,695 | 127 (tie) | |
29.8% | 3,099 | 108 (tie) | |
26.7% | 3,473 | 86 (tie) | |
23% | 1,976 | RNP* | |
20.9% | 6,309 | 23 (tie) | |
19.9% | 24,810 | 39 (tie) | |
19.6% | 1,805 | 175 (tie) | |
19.1% | 13,510 | 47 (tie) | |
19% | 6,845 | 108 (tie) |
*RNP denotes an institution that is ranked in the bottom one-fourth of its ranking category. U.S. News calculates a rank for the school but has decided not to publish it.
Don't see your school in the top 10? Access the U.S. News College Compass to find data on international students, complete rankings and much more. School officials can access historical data and rankings, including of peer institutions, via U.S. News Academic Insights.
U.S. News surveyed nearly 1,800 colleges and universities for our 2015 survey of undergraduate programs. Schools self-reported myriad data regarding their academic programs and the makeup of their student body, among other areas, making U.S. News' data the most accurate and detailed collection of college facts and figures of its kind. While U.S. News uses much of this survey data to rank schools for our annual Best Colleges rankings, the data can also be useful when examined on a smaller scale. U.S. News will now produce lists of data, separate from the overall rankings, meant to provide students and parents a means to find which schools excel, or have room to grow, in specific areas that are important to them. While the data come from the schools themselves, these lists are not related to, and have no influence over, U.S. News' rankings of Best Colleges, Best Graduate Schools or Best Online Programs. The enrollment data above are correct as of July 5, 2016.
Copyright 2016 U.S. News & World Report
