Foreign Grads Working in US – Nearly 1.5 million between 2004 and 2016

Between 2004 and 2016, nearly 1.5 million foreign graduates of U.S. colleges and universities obtained authorization to remain and work in the U.S. through the federal government’s Optional Practical Training program (OPT). More than half (53%) of the foreign graduates approved for employment specialized in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) data received through a Freedom of Information Act request.

Chosen excerpts by Job Market Monitor. Read the whole story at Increase in Foreign Student Graduates Staying and Working in U.S. | Pew Research Center

Enrollment Numbers and Trends

The number of international students enrolled in U.S. colleges and universities—including continuing students and new ones—has experienced strong growth since the 1950s (see Figure 1). While there were just 26,000 foreign students enrolled in school year 1949–50, the number roughly doubled every decade, reaching 286,000 in 1979–80. It continued growing in the mid-2000s and 2010s, hitting a record high of 1.1 million in 2016–17. Foreign students also increased as a share of the total population enrolled in U.S. higher education: from 1 percent in 1949–50 to 5 percent in 2016–17.

Chosen excerpts by Job Market Monitor. Read the whole story at  International Students in the United States | migrationpolicy.org