ICE quarterly international student data: academic, vocational, and STEM enrollments soar

New data from the US Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) reveals that the total number of international students across 8,697 schools in the country has reached the 1.23 million mark, up by 2.9 percent from November 15 of the previous year.

The data was compiled by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) through the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS), a web-based system designed to store information on international students, exchange visitors, as well as their dependents in the United States. SEVP is under the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

The figure comprises of students with academic (F) and vocational (M) status, with Arkansas and Alabama dominating the numbers with a 14 and 13 percent increase in enrolment rates respectively.

Additionally, almost 42 percent of all academic and vocational students are taking up courses in science, technology, and mathematics, which the government consolidates in one category called STEM. The number of international students under this category has also risen by 10.1 percent from the same period.

“California, New York, and Texas had the highest international student enrolment in the United States, with the largest number of students in these states coming from China, India and South Korea. International students in these states chose to major in business and engineering more than any other field of study,” the report asserts.

On the other hand, almost 87 percent of all 514,000 international students pursuing STEM studies are from the Asian region, mostly Indians and Chinese. Though the Australian and Pacific region contributed only 1,288 in the figure, it boasts of the largest percentage growth among all STEM students at a 15 percent increase from 2015.

The University of Southern California, the Northeastern University, New York University, Columbia University, and Arizona State University remain the most popular choice among international students. Each school recorded over 11,000 international enrolees in November.

Talk to one of our migration lawyers for more updates on US immigration laws. You can also take our free online assessment to see if you are eligible to apply for a student visa to the US.

Source--https://www.migrationexpert.com/us_immigration_news/2016/Dec/868/ice_quarterly_international_student_data_academic_vocational_and_stem_enrollments_soar