India and China made Asia the most popular continent of origin of foreign students in the U.S. in 2024, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) annual report.
Foreign student records from India increased 11.8% compared to 2023 (+44,715), while foreign student records from China decreased 0.25% compared to 2023 (-824).
Over 47.5% (751,876) of all active SEVIS records represent F-1 and M-1 students from either India (422,335) or China (329,541) in calendar year 2024, half a percentage point higher than calendar year 2023, according to the report.
READ: Crackdown on undocumented immigrants escalates under Trump’s orders (January 29, 2025)
Most foreign students participating in the post-completion science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) OPT extension were from India (48.0%) or China (20.4%), with 165,524 foreign students participating in STEM OPT in 2024.
The overall number of active F-1 and M-1 student SEVIS records coming from Asia increased by 64,078 from calendar year 2023 to calendar year 2024, with foreign student SEVIS record trends varying across different countries.
There were 194,554 pre- and post-completion optional practical training (OPT) students with both an employment authorization document (EAD) and who reported working for an employer in 2024, compared to 160,627 in 2023. This marks a 21.1% increase from 2023 and the fourth year of consecutive growth.
The 2024 calendar year report analyzes data in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS), a web-based system that the Department of Homeland Security uses to maintain and manage information on foreign students and exchange visitors who enter the United States temporarily and solely for the purpose of pursuing a full course of study or participating in a U.S. Department of State-designated program.
Foreign student enrollment in the United States increased in 2024. The total number of SEVIS records for active F-1 and M-1 students was 1,582,808 in calendar year 2024, an increase of 5% from calendar year 2023.
All four regions in the United States (West, Midwest, Northeast, South) saw an increase in foreign student records from 2023 to 2024, with increases ranging from 3.0 to 8.5%
While the total number of foreign student records increased from 2023 to 2024 (+5.3%), rate at which it increased was slower than the rate of increase from 2022 to 2023 (+10.4%).
The total number of active F-1 and M-1 student records in SEVIS was 1,582,808 in calendar year 2024, an increase of 5.3% from calendar year 2023. These foreign students were from more than 229 countries and territories.
Asia had the largest number of active foreign student records in the United States, with 1,134,953 foreign students, accounting for 71.7% of the foreign student population.
California schools enrolled the largest number of foreign students at 237,763 while New York schools enrolled the second largest number of foreign students at 172,522.
READ: US to pull visas from Chinese students in latest immigration crackdown (May 29, 2025)
Roughly 91% of all foreign students were enrolled in an SEVP-certified associate, bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral program. Specifically, foreign students in the United States pursued 1,434,748 degrees in higher education, which is an increase of nearly 82,000 from calendar year 2023. Bachelor’s or master’s degrees were the most popular, accounting for 79 percent of higher education degrees sought.
There was a decrease in the number of SEVP-certified schools eligible to enroll foreign students with 7,234 SEVP-certified schools in 2024 compared to 7,683 schools in 2023. In 2024, the total number of unique foreign student SEVIS records with work authorization through a form of practical training was 381,140.
The report lists the top 25 employers for students participating in pre- and post-completion OPT, STEM OPT and CPT in calendar year 2024.