IIE’s Research, Evaluation & Learning Division Issued Three Reports During the NAFSA Annual Conference This Week
SAN DIEGO, May 29, 2025 – In partnership with the AIFS Foundation, IIE today released Globally Mobile Youth: Trends in International Secondary Students in the United States, 2014-2024. Authored by Leah Mason, IIE’s Deputy Director of Research, Evaluation, and Learning, the study examines patterns in international students’ enrollment in U.S. high schools as well as student participation in cultural exchange programs. It concludes with a case study featuring the Academic Year in America program, showcasing how U.S. high schools and their communities contribute to international understanding and the impact of their efforts.
Key findings include:
- International secondary student numbers are slowly rising, with some countries surpassing their pre-pandemic totals. In fall 2024, more than 2,000 high schools across the United States enrolled 51,478 international students.
- Diploma-seeking students, those holding an F-1 visa, continue to comprise the most international secondary school students in the United States. In 2024, two-thirds of international students in the United States held an F-1 visa. F-1 student enrollment has experienced more significant fluctuations over the past decade, with a slow recovery of enrollment among F-1 visa holders following the COVID-19 pandemic, reaching 33,721 students in 2024.
- China, Germany, and Spain are the top three countries sending international secondary students to the United States in 2024. China has maintained its standing as the leading country of origin of international secondary students in the United States for more than 10 years, enrolling 10,040 students in U.S. secondary schools in 2024. Most students from China hold an F-1 visa, whereas Germany is the leading sending country of J-1 visa holders.
The publication is the latest in the Global Education Research Report series, a joint initiative of the AIFS Foundation and IIE. It includes papers on trending topics related to international students enrolled at U.S. institutions and U.S. students studying abroad.
The study is one of three reports issued by IIE’s Research, Evaluation & Learning division during the NAFSA Annual Conference in San Diego, California. Also released this week: new Open Doors data on enrollment in intensive English programs and a CSIS-IIE Brief on Educational Exchange as a Strategic Priority in U.S.-Mexico Relations, authored by Juliana Rubio, Julie Baer, and Eitan Casaverde.