International student

International students, also called exchange students or foreign students, are people who study all or part of their secondary or tertiary education in a country that is not their own. They travel to learn new things, experience different cultures, and gain knowledge from different parts of the world.

In 2023, there were over 7.3 million international students, which was a 6% increase from the year before. Many of these students chose to study in countries where English is commonly spoken. The four most popular places for international students were the United States with 1,177,766 students, Canada with 789,790 students, the United Kingdom with 732,285 students, and Australia with 499,371 students. These students bring diverse backgrounds and ideas to their new schools and communities.

National definitions

Different countries have different ways of defining what an international student is. In the United States, international students are people studying there on a special temporary visa for academic purposes, and most have an F1 Visa.

In Europe, students from European Union countries can join the Erasmus Programme, which lets them study in other EU countries through a government agreement. In Canada, international students are those who aren’t Canadian permanent residents and need government permission to study there. Canada’s first International House to help these students opened in 1959 at the University of British Columbia. In Australia, international students are not Australian citizens, permanent residents, New Zealand citizens, or holders of certain humanitarian visas. In Japan, an international student is someone from another country studying there on a special visa.

Destinations of foreign students

Student mobility in the first decade of the 2000s changed because of three big events: the September 11 attacks, the 2008 financial crisis, and more political changes like Brexit in the U.K. and Donald Trump becoming president in the U.S. These changes affect the rules about working while studying and after finishing school. Politics also matter a lot. For example, before the 2020 U.S. election, some students wanted to study in the U.S. more if Joe Biden won.

Traditionally, the U.S. and U.K. were the most popular places to study. Now, countries in East Asia like China, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and Singapore are also getting more students. Other countries like Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the UAE, Germany, Norway, Argentina, and Brazil are trying hard to attract students too.

According to reports, almost one in five foreign students moves between nearby countries. These students, called “glocal” students, often look for ways to earn a foreign degree without leaving their home country. With rising tuition costs in the U.S. and U.K. and stricter immigration rules, many students are looking at other countries for better value.

As of 2025^[update], the top 10 countries for foreign students are:

As of 2024^[update], the top 10 countries for foreign students according to UNESCO are:

Asia

China

Main article: Higher education in China

In 2016, China was the third largest place for foreign students, with 442,773 students. By 2018, this number grew to 492,185, a 10.49% increase from 2017.

The number of foreign students in China has kept growing since 2003, even during big events like terrorism or the Great Recession. China is now the top place for students from Africa who speak English.

In 2016, most students coming to China were from Asia (60%), followed by Europe (16%) and Africa (14%). Africa had the fastest growth at 23.7% from 2015 to 2016.

The top 15 countries sending students to China in 2018 are listed below. African countries are grouped together and show a big number of students.

In 2016, most foreign students studied in big cities like Beijing (77,234 students, 17.44%) and Shanghai (59,887 students, 13.53%). Recently, students have started going to other parts of the country more.

China wants to grow its influence around the world, and attracting foreign students, especially through scholarships, is one way to do this.

India

In 2019, India had over 47,000 students from other countries and aims to reach 200,000 by 2023. India’s students mostly come from South, Southeast, West Asia, and Africa, and the country offers many fee waivers and scholarships.

Iran

Iran had 55,000 students in 2018. By 2021, this doubled to more than 130,000, with half studying at Azad University and Payamnoor. Iran signed up students from 15 countries like Lebanon, Iraq, Russia, Syria, Pakistan, and African countries. They study subjects like humanities, law, medicine, construction, and accounting.

Japan

Japan is becoming a more popular place for foreign students. Japan has about 180,000 foreign students, and the government wants to increase this to 300,000 in the next few years. As of May 1, 2024, the Japan Student Services Organization (JASSO) reported 336,708 foreign students.

Malaysia and Singapore

Malaysia, Singapore, and India are new popular places for foreign students. Together, these three countries had about 12% of the world’s foreign students in 2005–2006, with between 250,000 and 300,000 students choosing to study there.

South Korea

In April 2024, 208,962 foreign students were studying at universities and colleges in South Korea. In 2024, most foreign students came from Asia, Europe, North America, Africa, and South America. About 69.8% were degree students, and 30.2% were non-degree students like exchange students or language students. In the Seoul Metropolitan Area, 56% of foreign students studied.

Australia and Oceania

Australia has the most foreign students compared to its population of any country. In 2020, there were 775,475 foreign students in Australia’s universities and vocational schools. In 2019, foreign students made up 27% of all students in Australian universities. Studying abroad is one of Australia’s biggest exports and affects the country a lot, as many students stay after finishing school.

Europe

France and Germany

In 2023-24, France had 412,087 foreign students. Germany had 469,485 foreign students in 2023-24. Since 2016/17, the number of foreign students in Germany has kept rising, from 358,895 students five years ago to 411,601 students last year.

With the Franco-German University, France and Germany work together to help students study across their borders.

The top 10 countries sending students to France in 2022-23 are listed below.

The top 10 countries sending students to Germany in 2023-24 are listed below.

Ireland

In Ireland, the Higher Education Authority reported 44,535 students from other countries in publicly funded schools in 2024/25, a 10.2% increase from the year before. Students from outside the EU made up 32,940 of these, with India, the United States, and China being the most common.

Quality and the Qualifications Ireland runs TrustEd Ireland, a quality mark for schools that meet standards for teaching international students. Schools that want to bring in students from outside the EU/EEA need this mark.

United Kingdom

The top 15 countries and regions sending students to the United Kingdom in 2023/24 are listed below.

Italy

The top 15 countries and regions sending students to Italy in 2023/24 are listed below.

Netherlands

As of 2017, 81,000 foreign students studied in the Netherlands, making up 12% of all students. Of these, 12,500 were Dutch students who studied somewhere else before. Three-fourths of foreign students in the Netherlands come from EU countries, mostly Germany. Of the students from outside the EU, most are from China. Two-thirds of all foreign students come for their bachelor’s degree.

Russia

Russia has been a popular place for students from developing countries since Soviet times. It is the world’s fifth most popular place for foreign students, with about 300,000 in 2019.

The top 10 countries sending students to Russia in 2019 are listed below.

North America

Canada

As of December 2023, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) reported 1,040,985 foreign students, a 29% increase from the year before. In 2023, 26.8% of foreign students in Canada were from India and 5.6% were from China. Canada’s new International Education Strategy (IES) for 2019-2024 aims to bring in more students from different places and spread them more evenly across the country instead of having most in a few cities.

The top 15 countries and regions sending students to Canada in 2023 are listed below.

United States

In 2023–24, 1,126,690 foreign students studied in American colleges. The largest group, 331,602 students, came from India.

U.S. colleges welcome students from China. Every year, 10 million students in China take the national college test, competing for 5.7 million university spots. Because foreign students usually can’t get U.S. federal aid, colleges can only offer limited financial help. But in recent years, China’s growing economy means more families can afford to pay.

Chinese students face challenges besides learning the language. China’s schools focus a lot on exams, so students and teachers are used to teaching and learning for tests. Parents also think that the more students listen to lectures, the better they will do on finals. In 2014/15, China had over 304,040 students in the U.S., making it the top source of foreign students. However, the number of Chinese students in the U.S. has had three periods of growth, each with different needs and expectations.

Requirements

International students usually need to take language tests before they can join a school in another country. Even if they speak the language well, some find it hard to keep up with fast lectures or talk quickly in everyday conversations. Some schools offer special English classes to help these students get ready for their studies.

To stay in another country, international students need a special permission called a student visa. In the United States, students must choose a school first. The type of school and what they plan to study decides if they need an F-1 visa or an M-1 visa. Students also need to show they can afford their school fees, books, and living costs while they are studying.

Higher education marketing

Many countries, like Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK, and the USA, work hard to attract students from around the world to study there. This is because the world has become smaller and closer due to globalization, and these countries want to stay strong by getting students from many different places. Schools try to offer special programs to help students get ready for university, especially if they do not speak English well.

One example is the Global Assessment Certificate (GAC) Program. It helps students learn the skills they need for university, such as English, math, and other subjects. After finishing the program, students can apply to many universities in countries like the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada.

Some universities also open campuses in other countries. This lets students study closer to home while still earning a degree from a well-known university. While this can be very helpful, it can also be tricky because of local rules and other challenges.

Challenges

Most students who study in another country find it hard to use the new language. This can make it difficult to understand the local culture and sometimes leads to being treated poorly by people from that country. Many of these students also do not have friends or support groups in their new place.

Students also face challenges in their schoolwork. They might not speak the language well, find the local culture strange, or struggle with study habits. They can also feel worried, have money problems, and miss their families and friends.

International students can bring good things to a country’s economy. For example, in the United States, they helped create jobs and add money to the economy. However, they sometimes face suspicions about their activities.

Students from different cultures might have trouble fitting in and understanding new ways of doing things. This can make schoolwork and finding jobs harder.

Some students worry about doing the wrong thing in school, like using someone else’s work without saying where it came from. This is very serious in schools and can lead to big problems.

Studying in a new country can be very stressful and might affect a student’s mental health. They might feel lonely, miss home, or struggle to make friends. This can be especially hard if their culture does not talk much about these feelings. During times like the COVID-19 pandemic, studying online added more stress because of time differences and less social contact.

Finding a place to live can also be a big challenge, especially in areas where housing is expensive.

Study abroad

"Studying abroad" redirects here. For the EP, see Studying Abroad.

Studying abroad means a student is learning in a country that is not their own. This can happen at any school level, from primary to university. A study from 2012 showed that about 9.4% of all students in higher education in the United States were studying in another country. This kind of learning is part of what is called the experience economy.

Studying abroad is very helpful for students. It helps them learn new languages, understand different cultures, and see things from new angles. These skills can help students in their future jobs. How well students do when studying abroad depends on three things: how they and their surroundings interact, the quality of the place they are studying, and how well the student can handle new situations.

Research shows that students who feel happy and positive tend to enjoy studying abroad more. They are more likely to make friends and feel happy in their new home.