ICE releases 2024 SEVP annual report

WASHINGTON – U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s 2024 Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) annual report detailing trends in the foreign student population studying in the United States is now available. The 2024 calendar year report analyzes data in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS), a web-based system that the Department of Homeland Security uses to maintain and manage information on foreign students and exchange visitors who enter the United States temporarily and solely for the purpose of pursuing a full course of study or participating in a U.S. Department of State-designated program.

The total number of active F-1 and M-1 student records in SEVIS was 1,582,808 in calendar year 2024, an increase of 5.3 percent from calendar year 2023. These foreign students were from more than 229 countries and territories.

Asia had the largest number of active foreign student records in the United States, with 1,134,953 foreign students, accounting for 71.7 percent of the foreign student population. The 422,335 foreign student records from India represented an increase of 11.8 percent compared to 2023, while the 329,541 foreign student records from China represented a small decrease of 0.25 percent compared to 2023.

California schools enrolled the largest number of foreign students at 237,763 while New York schools enrolled the second largest number of foreign students at 172,522.

Roughly 91 percent of all foreign students were enrolled in an SEVP-certified associate, bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral program. Specifically, foreign students in the United States pursued 1,434,748 degrees in higher education, which is an increase of nearly 82,000 from calendar year 2023. Bachelor’s or master’s degrees were the most popular, accounting for 79 percent of higher education degrees sought.

There was a decrease in the number of SEVP-certified schools eligible to enroll foreign students with 7,234 SEVP-certified schools in 2024 compared to 7,683 schools in 2023.

In 2024, the total number of unique foreign student SEVIS records with work authorization through a form of practical training was 381,140. This number removes duplicate counts for foreign students who may have had more than one work authorization issued in 2024. Foreign students may participate in more than one type of training program in the course of a year and thus may be counted multiple times. The number of foreign students approved for each type of practical training without removing duplicates was 194,554 through (optional practical training) OPT, 95,384 through STEM OPT (science, technology, engineering and math optional practical training) and 130,586 through CPT (curricular practical training).

The report lists the top 25 employers for students participating in pre- and post-completion OPT, STEM OPT and CPT in calendar year 2024.

The full 2024 SEVIS by the Numbers report can be viewed online, as well as previous years SEVIS data. Both SEVP and the Department of State use SEVIS to maintain critical information that allows DHS to protect national security and monitor foreign students and exchange visitors.

ICE reviews SEVIS records for potential violations and refers cases with possible national security concerns to its field offices for further investigation. Additionally, SEVP analyzes student and school records for administrative compliance with federal regulations related to studying in the United States.

Learn more about SEVP