The 10 foreign countries that send the most students to American colleges

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The number of foreign students in American schools has been surging over the past decade, and numbers are up again, according to newly released data from the US Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and the Institute of International Education (IIE).

Foreign students in the US were up 7.1% from last year with 1,043,839 students total, and international students now make up 5.2% of all higher education students in the US.

The influx of foreign students is vital for American universities, and especially public universities which have become increasingly dependent on foreign students to fund their budgets.

Here are the 10 foreign countries that send the most students to American colleges:

10. Mexico

With a population of about 122 million, Mexico sent 16,733 of its students to the US for college last year.

9. Japan

Japan, which has a population of about 127 million, had 19,060 of its citizens attend American colleges in 2015-16.

8. Brazil

Of the roughly 200 million people in Brazil, 19,370 went to the US for college last year.