Which US universities attract the highest number of international students?

By Khanh Linh December 2, 2025 | 04:55 am PT

The 15 U.S. universities with the highest number of international students in the past academic year are mostly ranked among the country's 50 best, with tuition fees ranging from $24,000 to over $75,000 per year.

The Institute of International Education (IIE) last week released its Open Doors report on international student trends in the U.S. for the 2024/2025 academic year, which names New York University as one with the largest international student population, about 27,500.

Northeastern University, Columbia University, and Arizona State University follow, each with over 20,000 international students. The lowest in the top 15 is University of California, San Diego, with more than 10,000 students.

Most of these universities are among the best 50 in the U.S. for 2026 according to U.S. News & World Report, with Columbia University the only Ivy League representative.

No.	University	International Students	Tuition (USD/year)	2026 Ranking (U.S. News)
1	New York University	27,500	65,600	32
2	Northeastern University	22,500	69,300	46
3	Columbia University	20,700	69,000	15
4	Arizona State University	20,400	35,200	117
5	University of Southern California	17,900	75,200	28
6	University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign	16,100	38,400	36
7	University of North Texas	13,000	24,000	208
8	Purdue University-West Lafayette	12,900	28,800	46
9	Boston University	12,800	71,400	42
10	University of California, Berkeley	12,000	55,300	15
11	University of Michigan, Ann Arbor	11,900	66,203	20
12	University of Washington	11,000	44,600	42
13	Johns Hopkins University	10,900	67,200	7
14	University of California, Los Angeles	10,800	48,700	17
15	University of California, San Diego	10,500	54,900	29

All 15 schools saw an increase in international students compared to last year, with Arizona State University seeing the largest growth, with nearly 2,000 additional students.

California has four universities in the top 15 of international student population, three of which are public and part of the University of California system. New York and Massachusetts each have two representatives, while other states like Illinois, Arizona, and Maryland have one each.

Tuition for international students at these schools ranges from $24,000 to $75,200 per year. University of Southern California has the highest tuition, while University of North Texas has the lowest.

In the 2024/2025 academic year, roughly 1.18 million international students came to the U.S. from over 200 countries and territories. This represents a 4.5% increase from the previous year, contributing $55 billion to the U.S. economy.

Khuôn viên Đại học Nam California. Ảnh: University of Southern California Fanpage

University of Southern California campus. Photo from the university's Facebook page

The number of Vietnamese students is nearly 25,600, up about 16%, keeping Vietnam in the top five countries by international student population. This is Vietnam's highest figure since the 2000/2001 academic year, when IIE first reported data on Vietnamese students.

IIE is a nonprofit organization focused on U.S. educational exchange programs. The Open Doors report is published annually and has been funded by the U.S. Department of State since 1972.