Most Americans Support International Students, But With Conditions

Strategic Insights -

Despite an overwhelming majority of Americans believing that international students are beneficial to US colleges and universities, many support limiting the number of students from certain countries, especially China. A recent Pew Research Center survey found that 79% of US adults think it is good for higher education institutions to accept international students, but around half back restrictions on Chinese students specifically. The survey reveals partisan and demographic divides in opinions about international students, with significant gaps between Republicans and Democrats, as well as by age and education level.

Key Takeaways:

  • 93% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents say it is good for US universities to accept international students, compared to 66% of Republicans and Republican leaners.
  • Younger Republicans under 50 are more supportive of international students (76%) than those aged 50 and older (56%).
  • Americans with a bachelor's degree or higher are more likely to support accepting international students (87%) compared with those without a degree (76%).
  • Half of US adults favour limiting the number of Chinese students studying in the US, while smaller shares support limits on students from India (44%), Nigeria (42%), South Korea (41%), and Canada (34%).
  • Republicans are more likely than Democrats to support restrictions on students from all these countries, with 67% supporting limiting Chinese students compared to 35% of Democrats.
  • Older adults are more inclined to support visa cancellation for international students who have criticized US foreign policy, with 82% of older Republicans supporting this policy.

Statistics:

  • 6% of all college students in the US are international students, as of the 2023-24 academic year.
  • 12% of Americans correctly identified the share of international students as "less than 10%" in the survey.
  • 1.1 million international students were enrolled in US higher education institutions in the 2023-24 academic year, an all-time high.

Sources:

  • "Most Americans think international students are good for the US, but some support restrictions" by Pew Research Center (September 2-8, 2025)
  • "International students in the US, by country of origin" by Pew Research Center (reporting on 2023-24 data)
  • "Education and the views of international students" by Pew Research Center (reporting on 2025 survey data)
  • "US international student numbers rise to record high despite Trump-era disruptions" by Pew Research Center (reporting on 2023-24 data)