International Students
Although they account for just five percent of all students in U.S. colleges and universities, international students play an important role in our economy. They gravitate towards the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math, or STEM, producing a large number of patents and gaining skills that help our employers innovate and compete. They spend tens of billions of dollars as consumers, supporting local businesses. And the companies they go on to found—such as Google, Yahoo!, and Trulia—employ hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of Americans.
Southern Baptist Seminary President Says Christians Should be at the “Forefront of Calling for Immigration Reform”
The Economist calls Dr. Albert Mohler “one of America’s most influential Evangelicals.” As chief executive officer and president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (SBTS) in Louisville, Kentucky—the flagship school of the Southern Baptist Convention and one of the largest seminaries in the world—he oversees an institution with… Read More
Immigrants Bring Creative and Economic Capital
To Dominican Republic native Pamela Gomez, the reason immigrants help the economy is a no-brainer. “We are so creative, and we come with cultural and economic capital, with so many different understandings,” she says. Gomez, a graduate student in Latin American and Caribbean Studies at the University of South Florida,… Read More
Let Those Already Here Give America Their Best Skills, Says Jamaican Immigrant
When Noreen Hartley arrived in Atlanta from Jamaica in 1996, she was fortunate to quickly find work as a call-center supervisor. But the 33-year-old former bank manager wanted to get back into accounting. There was one problem: Every time she applied for accountant jobs, she was told she didn’t have… Read More
Pioneering Researcher in Electric Cars Questions the Economic Wisdom of Restricting Immigrants
Chinese immigrant Shanjun Li, an associate professor at the Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management at Cornell University, has devoted his career to helping improve the American economy — and our environment — through his pioneering work in environmental and energy economics. Li’s research is widely cited by… Read More
Western Michigan University’s Director of the College Assistance Migrant Program is Thankful for President Reagan
From the age of 12, Adriana Cardoso-Reyes spent her summers and weekends picking blueberries alongside her parents and siblings. She was one of the almost 100,000 migrant workers who support Michigan’s $100-billion-a-year food and agriculture industry. Now a trained social worker and the director of Western… Read More
A Young Syrian Helps Shine Light on the Immigrant Experience
For Doha Salah and her family, arriving in the United States as refugees was a lesson in blind trust. “We had no one in this country, no friends or family,” says Salah, who was 9 years old when she was admitted to the country in 2008. When they landed at… Read More
Former Dean of Yale Law School Says to Reject Immigrants is to Reject ‘Exactly the Thing That Makes Americans Unique’
Harold Hongju Koh knows exactly how much the children of immigrants are capable of achieving in a short period of time. “Through educational opportunities, [they] have extraordinary upward mobility in one generation,” says Koh. “My own family is proof of that.” His parents, who met after coming to the United States… Read More
International Students Top One Million, Contributing $32.8 Billion to U.S. Economy
For the first time, the number of international students enrolled in U.S. colleges and universities exceeded one million, making up over 5 percent of the 20 million students pursuing higher education in the United States during the 2015-2016 academic year. These 1,043,839 international students represent a 7.1-percent increase from the… Read More
International Students Top One Million, Contributing $32.8 Billion to U.S. Economy
For the first time, the number of international students enrolled in U.S. colleges and universities exceeded one million, making up over 5 percent of the 20 million students pursuing higher education in the United States during the 2015-2016 academic year. These 1,043,839 international students represent a 7.1-percent increase from the… Read More
New Report Shows Immigrant Contributions to Fargo-Moorhead Area Advance the Economy
New Report Shows Immigrant Contributions to Fargo-Moorhead Area Advance the Economy Fargo, ND – New American Economy has released new research showing that the 10,663 foreign-born residents of the Fargo-Moorhead metro area make significant contributions to the region’s economy through millions of dollars in tax contributions and… Read More
Fueling the Economy
About 18.5 million foreign-born students study at American colleges and universities. In addition to their academic and cultural contributions, they support the economies of college communities through tuition payments and spending on housing, books, and other day-to-day expenses.1
Sources:
1 “NAFSA International Student Economic Value Tool | NAFSA,” accessed June 28, 2016. Available online.
Innovating for the Future
International STEM students and graduates are behind some of America’s most impressive innovations, from artificial skin to moldable metal. Studies show that immigrants with an advanced degree are three times more likely than U.S.-born graduate degree holders to file a patent.2 When universities increase their share of international students, they often receive more patents—boosting revenue and creating more opportunities for all students.
Sources:
2 Jennifer Hunt and Marjolaine Gauthier-Loiselle, “How Much Does Immigration Boost Innovation?,” NBER Working Paper, (September 2008). Available online.
3 Chellaraj, Gnanaraj, Keith E. Maskus, and Aaditya Mattoo. 2005. “The Contribution of Skilled Immigration and International Graduate Students to US Innovation.” World Bank Policy Research Working Paper (3588). Retrieved November 10, 2014. Available online.
Share of Patents Awarded to Research Institutions with at Least One Foreign-Born Inventor, 2011
From Graduates to Entrepreneurs
The inventions of foreign-born students often do more than just earn patents. They spawn start-ups and new divisions of companies that create jobs for American workers. Foreign-born students at American schools founded companies like Sun Microsystems (now a part of Oracle), Google, and Yahoo!.
Sources:
4 Edward B. Roberts, Fiona Murray, and J. Daniel Kim, “Entrepreneurship and Innovation at MIT: Continuing Global Growth and Impact” (MIT Innovation Initiative, December 2015). Available online.
5 Vivek Wadhwa et al., “America’s New Immigrant Entrepreneurs: Part I,” SSRN Scholarly Paper (Rochester, NY: Social Science Research Network, 2007). Available online.
Boosting State Economies
In 2015, the large number of international students in both New York and California generated close to $4 billion in revenue for each state. In eight states, foreign-born students generated revenues in excess of $1 billion—supporting tens of thousands of jobs.
States where International Students Make the Largest Economic Impact
Educating the Next Generation
Foreign-born professionals play a large role in educating American students. In 22 states, the occupation “postsecondary teacher” ranks among the top 10 jobs in which immigrants make up the largest share of workers. In six of those states, that role ranks among the top three jobs most heavily reliant on immigrants.
States with the Highest Share of Immigrant Postsecondary Teachers, 2014
Make a contribution
Make a direct impact on the lives of immigrants.
