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

AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews

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

The trend is noteworthy in light of President Donald Trump's recent executive order that bars citizens of Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen from entering the US for 90 days. Some experts believe that the ban could have far-reaching implications on enrollment at US colleges.

Foreign students in the US were up 7.1% from academic year 2015-16 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 academic year 2015-16.

9. Japan

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

8. Brazil

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