Powering the future workforce and helping to drive excellence and
innovation on our campuses, in our communities, and for our country
A Migration Policy Institute (MPI) analysis of the U.S.
Census Bureau data commissioned by the Presidents’
Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration
shows that, in 2022, immigrant-origin students
accounted for 5.8 million or 32 percent of all
students enrolled in U.S. colleges and universities,
up from 20 percent in 2000. The analysis does not include international students who enter the U.S. on non-immigrant visas (F, J, or M visas) in order to study at a U.S. college or university in the category of first-generation immigrant students.
When the Presidents’ Alliance first commissioned this research five years ago, immigrant-origin students accounted for 28 percent of all enrolled students in higher education and had driven 58 percent of domestic enrollments from 2000 to 2018. The accelerated impact of immigrant-origin students between 2018 and 2022 reflects the robust immigration trends of previous decades: this group has grown faster than the population of U.S.-born students with U.S.-born parents (considered third-generation or higher). Immigrant-origin students drive enrollment growth on campuses, help power the future-trained workforce and economy, increase diversity, and strengthen U.S. national security.
Immigrant-origin students are the fastest growing group of students in higher education, driving over 90 percent of the domestic enrollment growth at U.S. colleges and universities from 2000 to 2022.
To download U.S. and state-level data on enrollment and other characteristics for first- and second-generation students, click here.
Top Findings:
- In 2022, immigrant-origin students constituted close to 5.8 million (32 percent) of the approximately 18 million students enrolled in higher education.
- First-generation immigrant students numbered 1.9 million or 11 percent of all students, representing a 41 percent increase from 2000, while second-generation immigrant students numbered over 3.9 million in 2022 or nearly 22 percent of all students, representing a 156 percent increase from 2000.
- In 2022, immigrant-origin students made up 1 in 5 students (about 20 percent or more). in 23 states and the District of Columbia, up from 18 states and D.C. in 2018.
- In 2022, over 80 percent of all immigrant-origin students identified as students of color, compared to approximately 30 percent of all U.S.-born students of U.S.-born parents.
- In 2022, a third (33 percent) of all first-generation immigrant students in higher education were enrolled in graduate or professional school, compared to 16 percent of all second-generation immigrant students and 19 percent of all U.S.-born students whose parents were born in the U.S.
- Immigrant-origin students make up 32 percent of all students at public colleges and universities and 33 percent of all students in private institutions.
- In contrast, in 2018, immigrant-origin students accounted for 29 percent of all students in public institutions and 25 percent in private institutions
- Immigrant-origin students are incredibly diverse, reflecting the diversity of immigrants in the U.S. and contributing significantly to the diversity on campuses.
- Overall, Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI), Black, and Latino students from immigrant families account for 80 percent of all immigrant-origin students enrolled on campuses. In contrast, AAPI, African-American or Black, and Latino students account for less than 30 percent of all students born in the U.S. whose parents were also born in the U.S.
- Immigrant-origin AAPI, Black, and Latino students account for 60 percent of all students of color enrolled in higher education.
- Of the 1.6 million Asian-American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) students enrolled in higher education, the overwhelming majority, or 94 percent, are of immigrant-origin.
- Of the 2.5 million Black students in higher education, 29 percent are of immigrant origin, including slightly more than 15 percent who are first-generation immigrants and slightly less than 15 percent who are U.S.-born children of immigrants.
- Of the 3.7 million Latino students, 66 percent are of immigrant origin, with the U.S.-born children of immigrants accounting for 49 percent while 16 percent are first-generation immigrants.
- In contrast, immigrant-origin students accounted for only 11 percent of the 9.7 million White students enrolled in higher education, including 3 percent who are first-generation immigrants.
- The population of 1.9 million first-generation immigrant students is evenly split between naturalized citizens and non-citizens, first-generation immigrant students representing 50% and first-generation who are non-citizens account for 49.7%.
- Immigrant-origin students account for a significant percentage of all students in a growing number of states.
- In 2022, immigrant-origin students made up 32 percent of postsecondary enrollment in the U.S. as a whole. These students accounted for 40 percent or more of enrolled students in six states (California, New York, Florida, New Jersey, Minnesota, and Nevada).
- In 2022, immigrant-origin students accounted for at least one fifth of the enrolled student population in 23 states and the District of Columbia, up from 18 states and the District of Columbia in 2018.
- Among the top enrolling states, 15 enrolled at least 100,000 immigrant-origin students in 2022 (in descending order: California, Texas, New York, Florida, Illinois, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Maryland, Virginia, Michigan, Arizona, Georgia, Minnesota, Washington, and Pennsylvania).
Last Updated: September 2024.
Read the 2023 commentary, Investing in the Future: Higher Ed Should Give Greater Focus to Growing Immigrant-Origin Population, authored by Jeanne Batalova (MPI) and Miriam Feldblum (Presidents’ Alliance) here.
To review the 2020 report, see link here.
