Among many other effects, COVID has scrambled the enrollment and experience of non-domestic students at U.S. universities. Two-plus years into the pandemic, we continue to monitor the consequence of lockdowns, travel bans, and geopolitics on what had previously been a socially dynamic (and, particularly for some schools, financially lucrative) facet of on-campus life.
While we wait for the dust to settle, ESI has produced the latest in a series of dynamic interactive tools to understand national trends in higher education. Previously we had looked at the relationships between diversity and affordability (see here and here), and now we turn our attention to the interplay of the cost of going to school and the concentration of international students.
“Average net price” and “% students from outside U.S.” are readily available data points for all schools up to 2020 via the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) (located within the U.S. Department of Education and the Institute of Education Sciences). We’ve mapped 2011 and 2020 data and tagged it by geography, school type, and school size. We invite you to explore the data through this tool, whether to look up a specific institution or mine for broader trends.
| Median % of International Students | 2011 | 2020 | % Point Change 2011-2020 |
| All Colleges and Universities | 1.8% | 2.34% | +0.54% |
| Public | 1.77% | 2.22% | +0.45% |
| Private | 1.86% | 2.4% | +0.66% |
| Mean Percentage of International Students | 2011 | 2020 | % Change 2011-2020 |
| All Colleges and Universities | 3.64% | 5.25% | +1.61% |
| Public | 2.96% | 3.58% | +0.62% |
| Private | 4.03% | 6.09% | +2.06% |
| Median Average Net Price | 2011 | 2020 | % Change 2011-2020 |
| All Colleges and Universities | $16,436 | $18,816 | 14.48% |
| Public | $20,311 | $22,839 | 12.45% |
| Private | $10,775 | $13,105 | 21.6% |
| Mean Average Net Price | 2011 | 2020 | % Change 2011-2020 |
| All Colleges and Universities | $21,280 | $20,202 | -5.07% |
| Public | $12,175 | $13,020 | 6.94% |
| Private | $26,570 | $23,928 | -9.94% |
International Student Enrollment vs Net Price
- Overall, percentage of international students and average net price have been positively correlated throughout 2011-2020
- From 2011 to 2020, the correlation grew more positive over time.
- In 2020, for every 1-percent increase in the percentage of international students, the average net price will rise by $28,285.
- The larger the institution size, the more positive the correlation is between percentage of international students and average net price.
Data Source
Percentage of International Students: The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS)
Average Net Price: U.S. Department of Education College Affordability and Transparency List
Ken Lin, Intern
Ken Lin is an intern at Econsult Solutions supporting the firm’s work in higher education. He is currently an undergraduate student at Haverford College, studying Mathematical Economics and Anthropology.