According to an Inside Higher Ed article of August 5, higher ed foreign-born student enrollment is declining by 22% compared to last year. In 2024-2025, foreign student enrollment was about 1.2 million. Enrollment for 2025-2026 is forecasted at one million.

Three universities host at least 20,000 foreign born students – Columbia, with 55% foreign born enrollment, New York University, with 44% enrollment, and Northeastern with 58% enrollment.

In 2000 total foreign-born enrollment was 550,000; In 2010, 690,000. This indicates how in the 2010s some universities built large enrollments of foreign-born students into their academic and financial plans.