The clearest cases

Three places where the pattern is not subtle. Each links to the page that shows the workings.

National Graduate Education Overview

Aggregate data from NSF Survey of Earned Doctorates, NSF Graduate Student Survey, and IPEDS

58,131
Doctorates Awarded (2024)
33.3%
Temporary Visa Holders (2024)
36.5%
S&E Foreign (Temp Visa, 2024)
314,569
Grad Students on a Temporary Visa (NSF GSS 2024)
38.5%
Their Share of All Grad Students (NSF GSS 2024)
6,756
Chinese Doctorate Recipients (2024)

Foreign Share by STEM Field

% Non-Resident Alien enrollment (NSF GSS)

Source: NSF Graduate Students Survey, 2022

PhD Funding Sources

Primary financial support, all fields (NSF SED Table 4-1)

Source: NSF SED Table 4-1 (2024 doctorate recipients)

Top Source Countries for Temp Visa Doctorates

Total doctorates 2018-2024 and % intending to stay in U.S. (NSF SED Table 2-8)

Source: NSF SED Table 2-8

Work Authorization Pipeline: OPT, STEM OPT, and CPT

Annual authorizations with employment start dates. OPT grew 11x from 2007 to 2024. The 2016 STEM OPT 24-month extension rule dramatically expanded STEM work authorization. Source: ICE/SEVP SEVIS By the Numbers

269,323
Students Holding Any OPT (2024)
95,384
STEM OPT Extensions (2024)
130,586
CPT Authorizations (2024)
11x
OPT Growth Since 2007

Source: ICE/SEVP — Total Number Annual OPT, STEM OPT, CPT Authorizations CY2007-2024

Top 50 Universities by NRA Graduate Enrollment

IPEDS Fall 2022 graduate enrollment. Click column headers to sort.

# University Total Grad NRA NRA% Carnegie

Source: IPEDS Fall 2022 Enrollment