ICE Releases Quarterly International Student Data: F, M Students Up 6.2%
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) recently released the latest “SEVIS By the Numbers,” a quarterly report on international student trends prepared by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP). The report notes that nearly 1.2 million international students with F (academic) or M (vocational) status are studying in the United States. Full report available as PDF.
Based on data extracted from SEVIS March 7, international student enrollment at U.S. schools increased 6.2 percent compared to March 2015. In March, there were 8,687 U.S. schools with SEVP certification to enroll international students, a three percent decrease from the previous year.
Forty percent of international students studying in the United States, equaling almost 479,000 individuals, were enrolled in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) coursework. Approximately 417,000 international students from Asia pursued STEM studies, an increase of 17 percent since March 2015.
The report includes a section on M vocational students in the United States. In March, more than 75 percent of the M-1 student population was male. Canada was the only country of the top ten countries of origin where most M-1 students, at 51 percent, were female. Male students from China comprised 23 percent of the total M-1 student population. Sixty-four percent of M-1 students majored in transportation and materials-moving, with a focus on air, ground, or marine transportation.
Among U.S. schools, New York University, the University of Southern California, Northeastern University, Columbia University, and the University of Illinois ranked one through five for schools with the highest international student populations. More than 10,000 international students were enrolled at each school in March.
The report also notes that 77 percent of all international students were from Asia. The top 10 countries of citizenship for international students were China, India, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Canada, Vietnam, Japan, Taiwan, Brazil, and Mexico.
