The Open Doors Report 2025 highlights a notable trend in international education in the United States. While the total number of international students rose to 1,177,766, marking a 4.5% increase, the number of new international enrolments fell by 7.2% to 277,118. This contrast indicates a shift in how the US is sustaining growth in its international student population.
The rise in total international students was not driven by new admissions but by students already enrolled in long-duration programs and those participating in post-study pathways such as Optional Practical Training (OPT). Participation in OPT surged to 294,253, a 21.2% increase, making it one of the largest segments of the international student population. This trend shows that more students are staying in the US to complete multi-year degrees or gain practical work experience after graduation.
With new enrolments declining, continuing students are increasingly driving growth. The international student population now relies heavily on multi-year undergraduate and graduate programs, long-duration STEM courses, and students transitioning into OPT after graduation. This indicates that while the post-pandemic surge in new admissions is slowing, multi-year programs and post-graduate work opportunities are helping maintain higher student numbers.
For US universities, this changing pattern suggests that fresh international student enrolments may grow more slowly, graduate programs and OPT-related pathways may dominate, and retention strategies could become more critical than new recruitment for sustaining revenue and enrolment growth.
Overall, the Open Doors Report 2025 reflects a system powered by internal momentum. Even as fewer new students arrive, those already in the US—particularly through OPT—are sustaining growth, marking a shift from the US being a short-term academic destination to a long-term educational and professional pathway for global students.
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