A: The Open Doors website has extensive resources available. We recommend you begin on our Annual Data Release page and select the data resource of interest: International Student Data, U.S. Study Abroad Data, Intensive English Program Data, or International Scholar Data.
Our Annual Data Release page provides key findings, presentations, infographics, and links to detailed data tables. The data tables for each topic area have data visualizations and up to 20 years of historical information that can be downloaded in Excel.
Additionally, IIE provides fact sheets on topics of interest, including:
Please direct press questions to press@iie.org. Any additional data questions can be directed to opendoors@iie.org.
A: The Open Doors surveys are sent to accredited, degree-granting higher education institutions and intensive English programs throughout the United States. If you would like to add your institution or update your Open Doors’ point of contact, please contact us at opendoors@iie.org or complete the Open Doors Change of Contact Information Form.
A: The Open Doors® Report on International Educational Exchange is the only long-standing, comprehensive information resource on international students and scholars in the United States and American students studying abroad for academic credit.
The printed and digital books provide over 115 pages of written analysis and detailed data tables on international students and scholars at U.S. higher education institutions, U.S. students studying abroad for academic credit, and international students studying at intensive English programs. The report provides data on places of origin, sources of financial support, fields of study, host institutions, academic levels, and rates of growth of the international student population in the United States, as well as on the economic impact of international students to host states and the national economy. print report makes extensive use of graphics to highlight key facts and trends. Open Doors website contains additional resources, such as country and state fact sheets, that are not found in the book.
A: The data presented in the annual Open Doors Report are obtained each year through surveys sent to approximately 3,000 accredited U.S. higher education institutions, who report on the international students enrolled at their campuses and on Optional Practical Training (OPT). Separate surveys are conducted for U.S. study abroad, international scholars, and intensive English programs. The Institute of International Education has conducted an annual census of international students in the United States since its founding in 1919. IIE has published a report on international educational exchange since 1949 and received support from the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs since 1972.
A: An international student is defined as anyone studying at an institution of higher education in the United States on a temporary visa that allows for academic coursework. These include primarily holders of F (student) visas and J (exchange visitor) visas. For the purposes of Open Doors, students at institutions other than accredited colleges and universities are not counted, such as secondary schools or vocational schools. Individuals who have permanent residency are not counted.
A: The international student statistics include students enrolled for academic credit at U.S. colleges or universities (for undergraduate study, graduate level study, or non-degree study), as well as those who were enrolled at U.S. colleges and universities and stay on after their studies for Optional Practical Training (OPT) for a period of up to 12 months or up to 36 months for some approved fields while still on their student visa.
A: No statistics on high school or youth exchanges are provided in the Open Doors Report. IIE has published three separate reports on international secondary school students in the United States.
A: IIE conducts a survey of U.S. higher education institutions to determine the number and characteristics of international scholars in the United States each year. International scholars are defined as scholars on non-immigrant visas engaged in temporary academic activities and not enrolled as a student at a U.S. college or university. International scholars engaged in academic activities include, but are not limited to, post-doctoral scholars, visiting lecturers/professors/faculty, visiting researchers, short-term scholars, and visiting specialists.
A: IIE has been conducting the current survey on study abroad flows since 1985/86. IIE surveys U.S. colleges and universities, and the study abroad survey counts only those students who are reported by their accredited U.S. institution of higher education after they returned from their study abroad experience. These have traditionally been students who receive academic credit for their study abroad.
Beginning in 2013, the Open Doors data on study abroad has included an additional section on students who are enrolled in U.S. colleges and universities and go abroad for non-credit educational experiences, including research, work, internships, volunteering, and service learning.
Students who travel and take courses abroad that are not tracked by their home institution are not reported in Open Doors. Data on students who are enrolled overseas for full degrees from non-U.S. institutions can be found through our Project Atlas research.
A: Information on students pursuing full degrees outside the United States is collected through our Project Atlas research initiative. The most recent data on U.S. students pursuing a full degree abroad can be found on our Project Atlas page. In 2014, IIE published a separate report, New Frontiers: U.S. Students Pursuing Degrees Abroad, on U.S. students who enroll in colleges and universities in other countries for a full degree.
A: Open Doors does not include information on whether students stay in the United States, return to their home countries, or go to a third country. We do include statistics on the number of students who stay to conduct Optional Practical Training for a period of 12-36 months after completing their degree study, but after their student visa expires there is currently no way to track whether they apply for and obtain separate work visas or permanent residency status.
A: Highlights from the new Open Doors publication are released each year in early November. International student statistics for the 2023/24 academic year and U.S. study abroad data for the 2022/23 academic year were released on November 18, 2024. Intensive English program statistics for the 2023 calendar year were released on May 30, 2024. International scholars’ statistics for the 2023/24 academic year will be released in February 2025.
A: IIE’s Project Atlas publishes information from partners in other leading host and sending countries. IIE does not conduct its own surveys in these countries, but rather collects and brings together data from national agencies and partners in each country. The information and methodology is not always equivalent to what Open Doors collects, but it is the most comparable data currently available from each country.
A: International students in the U.S. contributed $50 billion to the economy in 2023, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. Additional breakdowns of economic impact by state and Congressional District, calculated using Open Doors enrollment figures, are available on the NAFSA Economic International Student Economic Value Tool website.
A: The Open Doors “All Institutions” data tables for colleges and universities reporting ten or more international students and U.S. study abroad students are available to IIENetwork Members. To find out more about joining the IIENetwork and members benefits click here.
Already a member? Access the Open Doors All Institutions tables here with your username and password.
A: IIE’s CEO, Allan Goodman, and the Head of Research, Evaluation, and Learning, Mirka Martel, are available for interview upon request. Please address press inquiries to press@iie.org.
If you are not a member of the media and you are looking for data that is not published on the Open Doors website or in the Open Doors book, you may submit your request to IIE’s Research team using the Open Doors Custom Analyses form.
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.
