Largest drop in international students in 2020

THE number of international students enrolled at US colleges and universities fell by 15 percent – or 161,401 students – from 2019 to 2020. However, early data for 2021 indicate the number might bounce back soon. This is according to new data from the Institute of International Education and the US State Department.

While a drop was expected due to the disruptions caused by the Covid-19 global pandemic, which included international travel restrictions and suspension of US visa services, the number of international students in the US has actually been declining since 2016. The decrease in 2020, however, is the largest on record based on data dating back to 1948.

Enrollments are down across all fields of study at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, which fell by 14.2 percent and 12.1 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, more than half of all international students come from just two countries: China and India. About 1 in 3 international students in the US are from China, and about 1 in 5 are from India. For context, the third-most represented nation is South Korea, which accounts for about 1 out of every 25 international students in the US.

While the overall number of international students dropped in fall 2020, a preliminary snapshot points to a 68 percent increase in the number of students beginning their studies in fall 2021 compared with a year earlier. This increase, which cannot be confirmed until a more comprehensive census is released in 2022, suggests a possible rebound is occurring.