International students or exchange students, also known as foreign students, are students who undertake all or part of their secondary or tertiary education in a country other than their own.
In 2023, there were over 7.3 million international students, an increase of six percent from the prior year. The most popular destinations were in the Anglosphere. Four countries in particular received 43.82 percent of international students: the United States (with 1,177,766 international students), Canada (789,790 students), United Kingdom (732,285 students) and Australia (499,371 students).
National definitions
Definitions of "foreign student" and "international student" vary from country to country. In the US, international students are "[i]ndividuals studying in the United States on a non-immigrant, temporary visa that allows for academic study at the post-secondary level." Most international students in the US hold an F1 Visa. In Europe, students from countries who are a part of the European Union can take part in a student exchange program called the Erasmus Programme. The program allows for students from the EU to study in other countries under a government agreement.
Canada defines international students as "non-Canadian students who do not have 'permanent resident' status and have had to obtain the authorization of the Canadian government to enter Canada with the intention of pursuing an education." The study permit identifies the level of study and the length of time the individual may study in Canada. Unless it takes more than six months, international students do not need a study permit if they will finish the course within the period of stay authorized upon entry. Canada's first International House (I-House), planned to help international students find housing and community, opened in 1959 at the University of British Columbia. In Australia, an international student "is not an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident, New Zealand citizen, or a holder of an Australian permanent resident humanitarian visa."
According to the Institute of International Education, an international student in Japan is "[a] student from a foreign economy who is receiving an education at any Japanese university, graduate school, junior college, college of technology, professional training college or university preparatory course and who resides in Japan with a 'college student' visa status."
Destinations of foreign students
Student mobility in the first decade of the 21st century has been transformed by three major external events: the September 11 attacks, the 2008 financial crisis, and an increasingly isolationist political order characterized by Brexit in the U.K. and the first presidency of Donald Trump in the U.S. Changes to the visa and immigration policies of destination countries impact the availability of employment during and after education. Political developments are often a major consideration; for example, a survey conducted before the 2020 presidential election in the U.S. indicated that a quarter of prospective international students were more likely to study in the country if Joseph R. Biden was elected president.
Traditionally, the US and UK have been the most prestigious choices. There is increasing competition from several destinations in East Asia such as China, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and Singapore, and other destinations such as Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the UAE, Germany, Norway, Argentina, and Brazil, which are keen to attract foreign students for reputation and demographic reasons.
According to OECD, almost one out of five foreign students is regionally mobile. This segment of regionally mobile students who seek global education at local cost is defined as "glocal" students]. Many "glocal" students consider pursuing transnational or cross-border education which allows them to earn a foreign credential while staying in their home countries. With the increase in tuition cost in leading destinations like the US and the UK along with the higher immigration barriers, many international students are exploring alternative destinations and demanding more "value for money." Recalibrating value for money for international students. It is projected that the number of internationally mobile students will reach 6.9 million by 2030, an increase of 51%, or 2.3 million students, from 2015. The affordability of international education is an area of concern not only for international students but also universities and nations interested in attracting them.
, the top 10 countries for foreign student enrollment according to Institute of International Education: RankDestination countryNumbers of foreign studentsTop sending countries20252024% change India, China, South Korea India, China, Philippines India, China, Nigeria China, India, Nepal Morocco, Algeria, China India, China, Turkey China, Vietnam, Uzbekistan China, Vietnam, Nepal
, the top 10 countries for foreign student enrollment according to UNESCO: RankDestination countryNumbers of foreign students20242023% change 956,923 748,461 389,181 336,453 181,821
Asia China
In 2016, China was the third largest receiver of international students globally, with 442,773 international students. By 2018 this number had grown to 492,185 (10.49% growth from 2017).
The number of international students in China has grown steadily since 2003, with apparently no impact from the rise of terrorism or the Great Recession. China is now the leading destination globally for Anglophone African students.
In 2016, the students coming to China were mostly from Asia (60%), followed by Europe (16%) and Africa (14%). However, Africa had the highest growth rate at 23.7 percent year-on-year 2015–2016.
The top 15 countries sending students to China in 2018 are listed below. African countries are grouped and show a considerable block of students.
Rank(2018) Country Number of foreign studentsRank(2017) 2018 2017 % ofTotal (2018) - All African countriesgrouped together 81,562 61,594 16.57% - 1 ** 50,600 70,540 10.28% 1 2 ** 28,608 23,044 5.81% 2 3 ** 28,023 18,626 5.69% 3 4 ** 23,192 18,717 4.71% 5 5 ** 20,996 23,838 4.27% 4 6 ** 19,239 17,971 3.91% 6 7 ** 15,050 14,714 3.06% 8 8 ** 14,645 - 2.98% - 9 ** 14,230 13,595 2.89% 7 10 ** 11,784 13,996 2.39% 9 11 ** 11,299 10,639 2.30% 12 ** 10,735 - 2.18% - 13 ** 10,695 - 2.17% - 14 ** 10,158 - 2.06% - 15 ** 9,479 - 1.93% -
In 2016, international students mostly went to study in the major centers of Beijing (77,234, 17.44%) and Shanghai (59,887, 13.53%). In recent years, there has been a decentralization and dispersion of students to other provinces.
China is openly pursuing a policy of growing its soft power globally, by way of persuasion and attraction. Attracting international students, especially by way of scholarships, is one effective way of growing this influence.
India In 2019, India was hosting over 47,000 overseas students, and aims to quadruple the number to 200,000 students by 2023. India has most of its international students and targets from South, Southeast, West Asia and Africa and is running various fee waiver and scholarship programs.
+2019-20 academic year Rank Country Number of Students % of Total 1 13,880 28.1% 2 4,504 9.1% 3 2,259 4.6% 4 1,851 3.8% 5 1,758 3.6% 6 1,627 3.3% 7 1,525 3.1% 8 1,437 2.9% 9 1,353 2.7% 10 1,347 2.7%Share of top 10 countries 31,533 63.9%Others 17,815 36.1%Total 49,348 100%
Iran Iran had 55000 studying in 2018 . In 2021 it doubled to more than 130000 with half of them enrolled in Azad University and Payamnoor. Iran Signed up PMF Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces to study at University of Tehran. By 2023 there were students from 15 countries such as Lebanon, Iraq, Russia, Syria, Pakistan and African countries. They study humanities, sciences, law, medicine, construction, and accounting.
Japan Japan is perceived as an evolving destination for international students. Japan has around 180,000 overseas students studying at its institutions, and the government has set targets to increase this to 300,000 over the next few years. According to the Japan Student Services Organization (JASSO), the number of international students on 1 May 2024 was 336,708 people.
Malaysia and Singapore Malaysia, Singapore and India are emerging destinations for international students. These three countries have a combined share of approximately 12 percent of the global student market, with somewhere between 250,000 and 300,000 students having decided to pursue higher education studies in these countries in 2005–2006..
South Korea
In April 2024, the number of international students studying at universities and colleges in South Korea was 208,962. As of 2024, the most common nationalities of international students were countries from Asia, Europe, North America, Africa, and South America. Among the students, 69.8 percent were degree students, and 30.2 percent were non-degree students such as exchange students or language students. The number of students attending universities in the Seoul Metropolitan Area was 56 percent of the total.
Australia and Oceania
Australia has the highest ratio of international students per head of population in the world, with 775,475 international students enrolled in the nation's universities and vocational institutions in 2020. In 2019, international students represented 27 percent of the student bodies of Australian universities. International education is one of the country's largest exports and has a pronounced influence on the country's demographics, as many students remain in Australia after graduation.
Europe
France and Germany In 2023-24, France received 412,087 international students. Germany received 469,485 international students in 2023-24. Since the 2016/17 academic year, the number of foreign students attending university in Germany has constantly risen, climbing from 358,895 students five years ago to 411,601 students last year.
With the Franco-German University, the two countries have established a framework for cooperation between their universities, enabling students to participate in specific Franco-German courses of study across borders.
The top 10 countries sending students to France in 2022-23 are listed below.
Rank Country Number of students % of total 1 45,162 11.2% 2 32,147 8.0– 3 25,605 6.3% 4 20,028 5.0% 5 15,251 3.8% 6 14,291 3.5% 7 11,594 2.9% 8 11,527 2.9% 9 10,691 2.7% 10 9,767 2.4%
The top 10 countries sending students to Germany in 2023-24 are listed below.
Rank Country Number of students % of total 1 49,008 10.4% 2 38,687 8.2% 3 18,084 3.9% 4 15,379 3.3% 5 15,159 3.2% 6 13,379 2.8% 7 10,593 2.3% 8 10,154 2.2% 9 9,914 2.1% 10 9,873 2.1%
Ireland In Ireland, the Higher Education Authority reported 44,535 non-Irish domiciled enrolments in publicly funded higher education institutions in 202425, an increase of 10.2 percent on the previous year. Non-EU enrolments accounted for 32,940 of these enrolments, and the most common non-Irish domiciles were India, the United States and China.
Quality and Qualifications Ireland operates TrustEd Ireland, a statutory quality mark for higher education and English-language education providers that meet national standards for provision to international learners. Providers wishing to recruit non-EU/EEA learners on programmes requiring immigration permission or study visas are required to apply for authorisation to use the mark.
United Kingdom
The top 15 countries and regions sending students to the United Kingdom in 2023–24 are listed below. RankPlace of originNumber of studentsPercent of total1166,31022.7%2149,85520.5%357,5057.9%445,7206.2%523,2503.2%617,2502.4%712,7601.7%812,7151.7%912,2851.7%109,6901.3%119,6801.3%128,6801.2%138,5351.2%147,8401.1%157,1601.0%Others183,02025.0%Total732,285100%
Italy The top 15 countries and regions sending students to Italy in 2023–24 are listed below.