US Community Colleges Experience Increase in International Student Enrollment

The number of international students at community colleges in the United States has increased by 7.2 percent, according to the new “Open Doors” report from the Institute of International Education.

Data show that more than 52,600 international students were enrolled in associate-degree colleges during the 2022/23 academic year, up from 49,009 in 2021/22. Nonetheless, the number marked a large decline from 96,400 students in 2016/17, Erudera.com reports.

According to the report, the top five community colleges with most international students in 2022/23 are:

• Lone Star College System (2,917)
• Houston Community College System (2,807)
• Santa Monica College (1,782)
• Dallas College (1,544)
• Valencia College (1,448)
• De Anza College (1,422)
• Montgomery College (1,357)

Other community colleges receiving many international students include Orange Coast College, Miami-Dade College, Northern Virginia Community College, Bellevue College, Green River College, Perimeter College of Georgia State University, and more.

The main sources of international students at community colleges include China, Vietnam, Japan, South Korea, and Brazil.

As of January 2023, the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) in the United States had 932 public community colleges registered, while there were 71 independent community colleges in the country during the same period.

Over the years, community colleges hosted the following number of overseas students:

• 2020/21 - 60,170 students
• 2019/20 - 79,187 students
• 2018/19 - 86,351 students
• 2017/18 - 94,562 students

Overall, US higher education institutions experienced a 12 percent increase in international enrollment, hosting a total of 1,057,188 students from more than 210 places of origin. That was also the fastest growth rate in four decades.

The number of international students who enrolled for the first time at US universities increased by 14 percent, to 298,523.

"Over one million international students studying in the U.S. reflects a strong rebound, with the number approaching pre-pandemic levels. This reinforces that the U.S. remains the destination of choice for international students wishing to study abroad, as it has been for more than a century," said Allan E. Goodman, IIE CEO.

China and India remain the largest sources of students in the US, accounting for 53 percent of all international students in the 2022/23 academic year. In other words, there were 289,526 Chinese students and 268,923 Indians in 2022/23.

However, Chinese students declined by 0.2 percent, while India reached a record high with a 35 percent increase.

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