Foreign STEM Students in the United States

Foreign STEM Students in the United States

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November 1, 2019
Foreign STEM Students in the United States
The number of foreign students in the United States
Figure 1. STEM Degrees Earned by Foreign Students
pursuing postsecondary degrees in science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines has
increased steadily in recent years. This increase has drawn
attention from lawmakers interested in potential effects on
institutions of higher education (IHEs), the U.S. workforce,
economic competitiveness, immigration, and national
security.
The global economy increasingly relies on the skills learned
in the STEM disciplines. U.S. IHEs play an important role
in training U.S. citizens and foreign nationals in these
disciplines. Foreign students are attracted to U.S. IHEs for
their quality of education and the prestige that comes with a
U.S. degree. American colleges and universities strive to

Source: CRS display of data from U.S. Department of Education,
attract top international students to pursue and obtain
National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary
STEM degrees at the undergraduate and graduate levels in
Education Data System.
order to remain globally competitive and draw additional

tuition revenue, as foreign students typically pay full cost of
Foreign STEM students also make up an increasing share of
tuition and do not receive financial aid.
total students receiving STEM degrees at U.S. IHEs,
This In Focus provides an overview of the trends in foreign
doubling from 11% in SY1988-1989 to 22% in SY2016-
student enrollment in STEM programs at U.S. IHEs, as well
2017. This percentage is even higher for graduate degrees,
as the pathways that students may take to remain in the
as foreign students accounted for 54% of master’s degrees
United States legally after graduation. There is no single
and 44% of doctorate degrees issued in STEM fields in the
definition of “STEM” used by the federal government. For
United States in SY2016-2017.
the purposes of this In Focus, STEM disciplines include
mathematics and computer science, physical and life
Countries of Origin
sciences, and engineering. For more information on STEM
According to data from the Institute of International
education, see CRS Report R45223, Science, Technology,
Education’s Open Doors report, China (162,050) and India
Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education: An
(153,876) were the leading sources of STEM students
Overview.
enrolled in U.S. IHEs in SY2017-2018 (see Figure 2),
accounting for 70% of all foreign STEM students in the
Number of Foreign STEM Students in
United States.
the United States
More than 1 million foreign students in the United States on
Figure 2. Top 10 Countries of Origin for Foreign
student visas (see box on p. 2) were enrolled in U.S. IHEs
STEM Students in the United States, SY2017-2018
in the 2017-2018 school year (SY), accounting for 5.3% of
total U.S. IHE enrollment. Of these, almost half (497,413)
were studying STEM disciplines. After more than a decade
of continuous growth, the number of new enrollments of
foreign students in U.S. IHEs has dropped in each of the
two most recent school years, falling by 9.6% in that time.
Of particular interest to Congress is the number of
postsecondary STEM degrees attained by foreign students.
As shown in Figure 1, this number has steadily grown over
the past few decades, increasing by 315% (from 27,470 to
114,092) from SY1988-1989 (the earliest year for which
annual data are available) to SY2016-2017 (the most recent
year for which data are available). Graduate degrees,
particularly master’s

degrees, account for the largest share
Source: CRS display of data from the Institute of International
of STEM degrees awarded to foreign students, and have
Education, Open Doors Report, 2018.
also experienced the fastest growth in recent years.
Notes: Data include undergraduate, graduate, non-degree, and
Optional Practical Training (OPT; see box on p. 2) enrollments.
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Foreign STEM Students in the United States
The number of students from India and, especially, China
studying STEM disciplines in the United States has
Permission to Enter the United States
increased in recent years. For example, in SY2009-2010
to Study
(the first year for which detailed data are available) there
were approximately 72,000 students from India and 56,000
F-1 visa: for full-time study at an academic or language
students from China pursuing STEM degrees at U.S. IHEs.
training institution
In SY2016-2017, a greater share of Indian (78%) than
M-1 visa: for vocational or other non-academic training
Chinese (45%) students in the United States were studying
(other than language training)
STEM disciplines.
J-1 visa: for participation in the Exchange Visitor program,
STEM Fields of Study
which includes students and scholars among its 14 programs
Permission for Students to Work
Figure 3 illustrates the breakdown of foreign students by
field of study at U.S. IHEs in SY2017-2018. Engineering
Curricular Practical Training (CPT): up to 12 months’
was the most popular field, accounting for 23% of all
employment that is an integral part of a student’s curriculum
foreign students, followed by mathematics/computer
Optional Practical Training (OPT): up to 12 months’
science with 18%.
employment directly related to a student’s major field of study
Figure 3. Foreign Students in U.S. IHEs by Field of
STEM OPT Extension: up to 24 months after initial 12-
Study, SY2017-2018
month OPT, post-completion employment directly related to
a student’s STEM degree
Selected Options for Remaining in the
United States After Graduation
OPT and STEM OPT: see above; no numerical cap
Continue education: begin a new program of study on a
student visa; no numerical cap for student visas
H-1B visa: temporary visa for workers in specialty
occupations typically requiring a bachelor’s degree or higher.
Employer must petition for the H-1B worker; visas are issued
for three years and may be renewed for another three years.

Employer demand for H-1B workers routinely surpasses
Source: CRS display of data from the Institute of International
numerical caps, including the set-aside for those with U.S.
Education, Open Doors Report, 2018.
STEM advanced degrees, and petition approval rates have
Notes: Data include undergraduate, graduate, non-degree, and OPT
dropped recently.
enrollments.
Lawful permanent residence (LPR): also known as
Staying in the United States after
“green card”; typically sponsored by employer or family
Graduation
member; some categories are subject to years-long wait times
due to annual and per-country numerical caps.
According to the National Science Foundation’s 2017
survey of STEM doctorate recipients from U.S. IHEs, 72%
of foreign doctorate recipients were still in the United
Figure 4. Approved Employment Authorizations for
States 10 years after receiving their degrees. This
OPT, STEM OPT, and CPT, CY2007-2017
percentage varied by country of origin; for example, STEM
graduates from China (90%) and India (83%) stayed at
higher rates than European students (69%).
There are several avenues—both temporary and
permanent—by which foreign students may remain in the
United States after graduation (see “Selected Options” in
the text box), but some categories have annual numerical
limits (“caps”). Practical training programs that give U.S.
work authorization to students to be employed in their field
while enrolled in school or after graduation do not have
caps and have seen a steady increase (see Figure 4). These
programs also allow foreign students to remain in the
United States legally while they pursue longer-term options,

such as H-1B or LPR status. For more information on
Source: DHS/ICE, https://www.ice.gov/doclib/sevis/pdf/data-
pathways for staying in the United States, see CRS Report
ApprovedEmploymentAuthorizations2007-2017.pdf
R43735, Temporary Professional, Managerial, and Skilled
Notes: Approved authorizations with employment start dates in
Foreign Workers: Policy and Trends.
indicated calendar year.
Boris Granovskiy, Analyst in Education Policy
Jill H. Wilson, Analyst in Immigration Policy
IF11347
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Foreign STEM Students in the United States

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