- The federal government underreported the number of international students in the U.S. last year by more than 200,000 students.
- The student and exchange visitor information system data issued by the Department of Homeland Security was corrected this month to show overseas enrollments rose, rather than declined.
- These enrollment figures have been at the center of an escalating battle over international student visas.
International student enrollment increased last year, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security — contrary to data the agency previously posted, which showed a decline.
A new analysis by Chris Glass, a professor at Boston College, found that student and exchange visitor information system data issued by DHS underreported the number of international students by more than 200,000 — an error that the agency corrected this month. Glass flagged the change on July 7.
The numbers from SEVIS, a division of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, show overseas enrollments totaled 1,294,231 in September, compared to the earlier-reported, erroneous figure of 1,091,182. SEVIS data tracks college students as well students in public and private high schools, language training, flight schools and vocational schools, among other programs.
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The corrected data shows year-over-year growth of 6.5%, according to Glass. This is largely in line with Open Doors data, released by the U.S. Department of State and the Institute of International Education, which also found that the U.S. hosted a record number of students from abroad in the 2023-24 academic year.
The revised numbers show “robust growth,” Glass told CNBC. “It’s critical data at a moment when people are paying close attention to the number of international students in the U.S.”
SEVIS did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trump, Harvard battle over international enrollment
For now, the fate of international enrollment at Harvard and elsewhere is still up in the air.
In early June, Harvard President Alan Garber said in a statement that “Harvard’s Schools continue to make plans to ensure that our international students and scholars will be able to pursue their academic work fully.”
Although international undergraduate and graduate students in the U.S. make up slightly less than 6% of the total U.S. higher education population, at Harvard, the share of international students is disproportionately high.
International students accounted for 27% of Harvard’s total enrollment in the 2024-25 academic year, up from 22.5% a decade earlier.
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