Iran leads with 250,000 from abroad

More than 250,000 overseas students were enrolled in US colleges and universities last year, while some 25,000 US Students studied abroad. Iran led the overseas contingent, with about 45,000 students; Nigeria was far behind, with some 16,000. There were some 15,000 each from Taiwan and Canada and 10,000 each from Hong Kong and Japan.

The number of foreign students represented less than 3 percent of the total enrollment in the United States. A little more than half were undergraduates.

One private institution, the University of Southern California, had the greatest number of foreign students (3,522), nearly 13 percent of its total enrollment.

A two-year community college (Miami-Dade) was second, with 3,260 foreign students making up some 8 percent of its student body.

Northrop University, an engineering school near Los Angeles, had a total enrollment, including 22 women, of fewer than 2,000, more than half of whom were from overseas.

Only 1 in 5 foreign students received US financial aid, and 1 in 4 was female.

Statistics on foreign students in the US, as well as US students overseas, are released yearly by the Institute for International Education, UN Plaza, New York, NY 10036. Those who wish those reports may write direct to the institute.