Click here to access the International Student Census Survey ⇒

Definition of an international student:

• For questions A – M: Include only nonimmigrant international students on temporary visas at the postsecondary level from the fall 2023 term. This includes enrolled or Optional Practical Training (OPT) international students at the postsecondary level.
• For question N: Include international students enrolled online from outside the United States at your institution in fall 2023 who were not on a temporary, nonimmigrant visa.

DO NOT include:

• U.S. citizens, immigrants, permanent residents, refugees, undocumented immigrants, or students with deferred action status.
• Students from Hawaii or U.S. territories such as Puerto Rico, Guam, or the U.S. Virgin Islands.
• B visa students who are not eligible to take courses without change of status approval.
• High school international students who may be taking coursework at your institution.
• Students who are taking courses at your institution but who are matriculated at and under the visa sponsorship of another U.S. institution.
• For Questions A – M: International students who are not physically present in the United States, such as those taking online coursework at your institution or who are enrolled in your institution’s international branch campuses.

For the question on new international students, include students enrolling for the first time at your institution during fall 2023 regardless of academic level.  This can include students that transferred to your institution.

If the student is primarily enrolled at your institution, you should report the student, even if another organization sponsors the visa.  For example, include international students on Fulbright grants who attend your institution but whose visa is held by another organization.

Do not include students taking a few courses at your institution if they are matriculated at and are under the visa sponsorship of another U.S. higher education institution.  The other higher education institution that sponsors the visa should report them to avoid double counting.

Provide the primary source of funding related to the total cost of attending your institution, including living expenses.  While international students may often have multiple funding streams, only categorize the student in one category that accounts for the greatest amount of funding.

The video below reviews examples of how to classify different types of funding, such as family funding, student loans, research assistantships, and students on OPT.

We align our fields of study question with the U.S. Department of Education National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP codes).  For more information about the specific majors that fall in each CIP code, see http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode.  From this website, either Browse by CIP Codes or use their “Search” feature (recommended).  In the “Search” bar, write in the major, and select “Search within Title” to find the appropriate CIP Code for specific majors.

If a student has a double (or triple) major, count each major separately.

Report the student’s country of citizenship, which may be different than their country of birth or the country of prior residence.

If a student holds dual citizenship from two countries outside of the United States, count the student under the place of origin that appears on their I-20, DS-2019, or other documentation used to apply for their temporary visa. A student should not be included in the survey if one of the countries of citizenship is the United States.

If you need to update your institution’s contact information for the International Student Census, email us at opendoors@iie.org.