International Scholars Survey
International scholars are defined as scholars on nonimmigrant visas engaged in temporary academic activities and not enrolled as students at a U.S. college or university. The pool of surveyed institutions includes doctorate, master’s, and baccalaureate institutions, as well as community colleges that are known to host international scholars. Scholars affiliated with public or private research institutes, research laboratories, or think tanks are not included.
The survey captured data for the period beginning July 1, 2020 and ending June 30, 2021. Institutions reported on the primary function of the scholars (research, teaching, both, clinical, or other), place of origin, academic field of specialization, gender, and visa status.
Responses were received from 552 of the 1,690 institutions polled, for a response rate of 33 percent. Data imputation is also carried out to account for non-responding institutions. The reporting institutions and those for which data were imputed together account for 45 percent of all institutions that were surveyed. (See Imputation and Estimation for more details).
The survey was administered beginning in June 2021. Most of the institutions that reported hosting international scholars in 2020/21 were able to provide detailed information on the characteristics of their scholars. The response rates for individual variables ranged from 100 percent for visa status to 91 percent for field of specialization.
| Variable | 2009/10 | 2010/11 | 2011/12 | 2012/13 | 2013/14 | 2014/15 | 2015/16 | 2016/17 | 2017/18 | 2018/19 | 2019/20 | 2020/21 |
| Primary Function | 91.0 | 77.3 | 81.1 | 90.2 | 85.4 | 92.2 | 90.3 | 89.0 | 88.4 | 94.2 | 96.0 | 93.2 |
| Visa | 99.5 | 87.8 | 90.9 | 99.9 | 99.9 | 98.7 | 99.1 | 98.3 | 99.6 | 99.7 | 99.3 | 99.7 |
| Gender | 96.9 | 83.7 | 85.8 | 97.2 | 94.1 | 94.0 | 94.6 | 95.1 | 95.2 | 96.2 | 97.4 | 96.4 |
| Field of Specialization | 90.9 | 81.1 | 82.5 | 89.9 | 88.1 | 88.9 | 90.9 | 87.9 | 87.3 | 87.8 | 86.7 | 91.1 |
| Place of Origin | 96.9 | 85.2 | 88.1 | 98.1 | 95.1 | 95.2 | 96.8 | 95.7 | 97.7 | 96.4 | 97.1 | 97.5 |
| Total Reported | 115,098 | 115,313 | 116,917 | 122,059 | 121,914 | 124,861 | 134,088 | 134,379 | 135,009 | 136,563 | 123,508 | 85,538 |
Open Doors is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. Government and supported in its implementation by IIE.
IIE’s mission is to help people and organizations leverage the power of international education to thrive in today’s interconnected world. IIE’s work focuses on advancing scholarship, building economies, and promoting access to opportunity.
The U.S. Department of State leads America’s foreign policy through diplomacy, advocacy, and assistance by advancing the interests of the American people, their safety and economic prosperity.
EducationUSA is a U.S. Department of State network of over 430 international student advising centers in more than 175 countries and territories. EducationUSA is committed to promoting the diversity of U.S. higher education to help international students find their best fit.
USA Study Abroad is a U.S. Department of State entity focused on expanding and diversifying study abroad opportunities for U.S. students to gain critical skills in support of our national security and economic prosperity.
