NYU Leads US Universities With Most International Students: Open Doors 2025 Top 10 List

The latest Open Doors 2025 Report reveals that a handful of large US universities continue to dominate international student enrolment. While demand for STEM programmes remains the strongest driver, the distribution of international students shows a clear concentration in major private research universities and large public campuses.

At the top of the list is New York University (NYU), which remains the No. 1 host of international students in the United States with 27,532 enrolments in 2024–25.

NYU Leads the Nation

NYU retains its long-standing position as the largest destination for foreign students, followed by:

• Northeastern University – 22,465

• Columbia University – 20,733

These three institutions serve as major global hubs for international education, attracting students from across Asia, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.

Top 10 US Universities Hosting International Students (2024–25)

The data underscores how public universities like ASU, UIUC, UC San Diego, Purdue, Penn State, and Michigan Ann Arbor now occupy key positions in the top tier, supported by their large campuses, strong STEM offerings, and comparatively accessible tuition structures.

Private vs Public: A Balanced Dominance

The 2025 rankings highlight a clear balance between:

Private Research Universities

• NYU

• Northeastern

• Columbia

• USC

Large Public Universities

• Arizona State University

• UIUC

• UC San Diego

• Purdue

• Penn State

• Michigan Ann Arbor

This mix demonstrates that international students are no longer restricted to traditional elite institutions; instead, they favour universities offering scale, programme diversity, research pipelines, and industry-linked opportunities.

Ivy League Presence: Only Columbia Makes the Cut

Among the Ivy League, only Columbia University appears in the top 10.
Others — including Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Penn, Brown, Dartmouth, and Cornell — do not feature due to smaller enrolments despite their prestige.

This aligns with long-term Open Doors trends:
Ivy League universities have strong global reputations but smaller international student populations compared to large public institutions.

A Changing International Student Landscape in the US

The 2025 data reveals clear structural shifts:

• Mega-universities continue to host the largest volumes of foreign students.

• Public universities are becoming increasingly dominant.

• Ivy League institutions maintain prestige but not scale.

• NYU and Northeastern remain unmatched in hosting global student communities.

The numbers signal that the US higher education market is shaped less by brand exclusivity and more by capacity, programme breadth, and global visibility.