Chen, Mingyu. (2021) “The Impact of International Students on US Colleges: Higher Education as a Service Export.” EdWorkingPaper 21-405. 

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The underlying data on student place of origin, dates of study, program of study, cost of attendance, and funding source is from the universe of F-1 visa SEVIS records obtained from the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) via Freedom of Information Act Requests. Data on the institutional sector (public or private) is from the US Department of Education’s Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System. STEM programs are identified using STEM CIP codes published by ICE.

International students with a valid F-1 SEVIS record from regions outside the US and US territories are included. International students enrolled via other types of visas such as J-1, M-1, dependent visas, and immigrant visas are not included.

Tuition and fees and living expenses are reported by US institutions for each student. Living expenses include institutional estimates for living costs, medical insurance, expenses of dependents, and other expenses. Total expenses are the sum of tuition and fees and living expenses, and net expenses are the total expenses minus financial aid provided by the hosting US institution. A per FTE measure is the sum of a financial measure across all students divided by the number of students. All financial measures are in constant 2019 dollars adjusted using the Higher Education Price Index.

NAFSA: Association of International Educators, provides estimates for international students' economic value that is similar to ours by US destination state and congressional district. The estimates are based on the school-level fall enrollment data surveyed by the Institute of International Education (IIE) and cost reported in IPEDS for out-of-state students.

In contrast, Project ADVISE provides estimates for international students' financial contributions at the national, state, and institutional level and by degree type, program, and place of origin. It also provides per FTE estimates in selected cases. Project ADVISE uses student-level administrative records for F-1 visa holders. Data on the program of study, program length, tuition and fees, living expenses, and funding sources are reported for each international student.