These college majors attract the most international students to the US

By Doan Hung June 11, 2025 | 11:00 pm PT

For the third consecutive year, Computer Science remained the most popular college major among international students in the U.S., with over 118,000 students enrolled in 2024.

It was followed by Second Language Learning and Business Administration and Management, according to the latest report from the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS), managed by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) under U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

The top 10 most popular fields of study among international students are unchanged from the previous year, with most concentrated in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) and economics-related disciplines.

Rank	Primary Major	Number of international students in 2024
1	Computer Science	118,137
2	Second Language Studies	95,747
3	Business Administration and Management	88,257
4	Computer and Information Sciences	82,434
5	Management Science	40,403
6	Electrical and Electronics Engineering	36,939
7	Information Technology	31,215
8	Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods	30,301
9	Mechanical Engineering	29,698
10	Econometrics and Quantitative Economics	29,146

In 2024, the U.S. hosted more than 1.43 million international students at the higher education level.

Master's students comprised the largest group with over 667,600 (46%), followed by undergraduates with more than 464,800 (32%). The remainder were enrolled in associate or doctoral programs.

India was the top source of international students for the second year in a row, with more than 422,300 students, followed by China with 329,500. South Korea, Canada, and Brazil completed the top five, each sending between 44,700 and 61,300 students. Vietnam ranked sixth, with over 36,100 students studying in the U.S.

Sinh viên trong một lớp học về lập trình căn bản tại Viện Công nghệ Massachusetts (MIT). Ảnh: MIT

Students a class at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Photo courtesy of MIT

The dominance of Indian and Chinese students made Asia the leading region of origin. Student records from India rose by 11.8% compared to 2023, while those from China declined slightly by 0.25%.

During the 2023–2024 academic year, international students contributed $43.8 billion to the U.S. economy, according to NAFSA: Association of International Educators, a nonprofit organization supporting professionals in international education.

A report by U.S. News & World Report analyzing data from 324 U.S. universities showed that tuition and overall college costs have increased significantly. Over the past two decades, tuition and fees at private national universities rose by about 41%.

Last year, out-of-state students at public universities paid an average of $28,000 in tuition, while private institutions charged around $46,600 annually. At some universities, the total cost of attendance has reached as high as $100,000 per year.