Florida is a leader in international college students, according to a new report from the U.S. State Department.
In the department’s yearly Open Doors Report, Florida came in 7th place in the nation, welcoming almost 45,000 international students during the 2023-2024 school year, a 5% uptick from the previous year.
The University of South Florida Tampa campus had the most international students of any university in the state, with 7,249.
It was followed by the University of Florida, Florida International University, University of Central Florida and the University of Miami.
Acting Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy Lee Satterfield said there are many benefits to international students studying in Florida, including economic ones.
“In Florida alone, international students contributed $1.5 billion to the economy in Florida. So incredible. And globally, over 300,000 jobs are attributed to international students studying in the United States,” said Satterfield.
There are also the academic and social benefits of these students choosing the Sunshine State.
“Think about what international students being in your classroom might mean to an American student. It gives them a perspective and an experience without having to leave their own community, that gives them an international perspective,” said Satterfield.
The majority of international students studying in Florida come from India, China, Brazil, Colombia and Venezuela.
The state is also a top producer of Fulbright and Gilman scholars, along with students who receive state department critical language awards to study languages critical to our national security.
The news comes as Florida public universities cut ties with seven countries of, “concern” and the state continues to ban instruction around Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
Those countries of concern include some of the same countries international students come from: China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, Venezuela and Syria.
Under a 2023 law, Florida public universities and colleges are required to keep track of and limit any business that they do with these countries.
Read the Open Doors fact sheet for Florida to learn more about international students here:
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