More than 100,000 international students studied at California colleges and universities during the 2012-2013 school year, making the state the top U.S. destination for international study, according to this year’s annual report from the Institute of International Education and the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
San Diego is among the country’s top 20 metropolitan destinations for international students, and the region saw a more than 10 percent increase in foreign students this school year.
The University of Southern California in Los Angeles hosted the largest number of international students of any university in the country, with nearly 10,000.
Nearly half of all foreign students studying in California are from China, South Korea and India. Nationwide, 20 percent more Chinese students studied in the U.S. this year over last year, according to the study.
The top field of study for foreign students in the U.S. is business and management, followed by engineering.
International students, of course, spend money when they study here. The Institute of International Education estimates they contributed $3.6 billion to the California economy this year, and $24 billion nationwide.
