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: Open Doors is a comprehensive information resource on the almost 1 million international students at U.S. higher education institutions and on U.S. students who sojourn abroad as part of their academic experience. The printed book provides over 130 pages of 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, as well as on the economic impact of international students to the host state and national economies. The print report makes extensive use of graphics to highlight key facts and trends. Also included in the publication are sections on international scholars in the United States and intensive English programs. The print publication includes data not found on this website. Open Doors online 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. 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. The report has been published as Open Doors since 1954, and began receiving support from the United States Information Agency, now the Department of State, in the early 1970s.
A: Through 2020, Open Doors defined an international student as an individual enrolled in coursework at an accredited, degree-granting higher education institution in the United States on a temporary visa that allows for academic study.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Open Doors 2021 made a definitional update to include all international students enrolled in coursework through an accredited, degree-granting higher education institution in the United States to include:
Individuals participating in Optional Practical Training were considered students in SEVIS and were included in the Open Doors international student totals. Immigrants (permanent resident with an I-151 or Green Card), U.S. citizens, undocumented immigrants, those with deferred action status, or refugees/asylees continued to not be included in Open Doors.
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 two recent reports on international secondary school students in the United States. Both reports, Charting New Pathways to Higher Education: International Secondary Students in the United States (2014) and Globally Mobile Youth: Trends in International Secondary Students in the United States, 2013-2016 (2017) are available to download at no cost.
A: A separate section of Open Doors reports on these scholars. 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 includes, but is not limited to, post-doctoral scholars, visiting lecturers/professors/faculty, visiting researchers, short-term scholars and visiting specialists. IIE conducts a survey of research universities to determine the number and characteristics of international scholars in the U.S. each year.
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 students who are enrolled in U.S. colleges and universities and go abroad for non-credit educational experiences including 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, nor are students who are enrolled overseas for full degrees from non-U.S. institutions.
A: In 2014, IIE published a separate report on U.S. students who enroll in colleges and universities in other countries for a full degree. This publication, New Frontiers: U.S. Students Pursuing Degrees Abroad, is available for download at no charge.
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 2020/21 academic year and U.S. study abroad data for the 2019/20 academic year were released on November 15, 2021. Intensive English program statistics for the 2020 calendar year were released on June 2, 2021. International scholars’ statistics for the 2019/20 academic year were released in February 2021.
The printed Open Doors publication can be purchased at IIE’s online bookstore.
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 over $39 billion to the economy in 2020, 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. IIE’s Public Affairs office can help you to locate information, and can provide some additional data. Due to confidentiality agreements, we are not able to provide breakdowns for specific institutions – you will need to contact the institutions directly. In addition, IIE provides fact sheets on topics of interest, including:
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 IIE Network Members. To find out more about joining the IIE Network and members benefits click here.
Already a member? Access the Open Doors All Institutions tables here with your username and password.
A: IIE’s President, Allan Goodman, Special Counselor to the President, Peggy Blumenthal, and other spokespersons, as well as 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.
