Charted: International Students at Harvard (2006–2024)

Charted: International Students at Harvard (2006–2024)

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Harvard is one of the world’s most prestigious universities, and attracts students from over 140 countries. It also has the largest endowment fund of any university globally.

Recently, Harvard made headlines as the Trump administration temporarily barred it from enrolling international students, citing concerns around growing antisemitism.

So how many international students attend Harvard?

This infographic visualizes the number of international students at Harvard from 2006 to 2024, alongside the school’s total student enrollment, based on official numbers from Harvard.

How Many International Students Does Harvard Have?

In the academic year 2006-07, international students made up almost 20% of Harvard’s student body. As of the 2024-25 academic year, that share has reached a record 27%, with 6,793 international students at Harvard.

Here’s a look at Harvard’s international student enrolment from 2006 to 2024:

Academic Year	Share of International students in Enrolment	No. of International students	No. of Non-international students	Total Students
2006-07	19.6%	3,941	16,166	20,107
2007-08	19.8%	3,961	16,044	20,005
2008-09	19.8%	4,025	16,303	20,328
2009-10	19.9%	4,201	16,910	21,111
2010-11	19.7%	4,207	17,148	21,355
2011-12	20.6%	4,347	16,755	21,102
2012-13	21.3%	4,531	16,741	21,272
2013-14	21.8%	4,633	16,619	21,252
2014-15	22.5%	4,822	16,609	21,431
2015-16	22.7%	4,961	16,894	21,855
2016-17	23.4%	5,245	17,170	22,415
2017-18	23.9%	5,483	17,458	22,941
2018-19	23.8%	5,542	17,744	23,286
2019-20	24.1%	5,718	18,008	23,726
2020-21	24.1%	5,359	16,878	22,237
2021-22	25.8%	5,473	15,740	21,213
2022-23	25.8%	6,527	18,771	25,298
2023-24	26.8%	6,713	18,336	25,049
2024-25	27.2%	6,793	18,181	24,974

Harvard’s total enrolment grew by around 24% from 2006 to 2024, from 20,107 to 24,974 students. The number of international students grew at a faster rate.

The biggest jump in Harvard’s enrolment came in 2022-23, with total enrolment growing by over 4,000 students, and international students increasing by over 1,000. Including scholars and researchers, the international population at Harvard surpasses 10,000 in number.

Like most Ivy League schools, Harvard doesn’t differentiate between tuition for in-state and out-of-state students, with all students paying the same fees regardless of origin or residence.

Trump’s Ban on Harvard

On May 22, Trump barred Harvard from enrolling international students, a move that was temporarily blocked by a federal judge the following day.

The Trump administration alleges that Harvard has failed to curb antisemitism on campus, and the President wants the university to cap the share of students from abroad at around 15%.

Meanwhile, the U.S. has currently suspended all student visa appointments at embassies worldwide, amid plans to impose social media vetting on all international student visa applicants.

For context, the U.S. had over 1.1 million foreign students in the 2023-24 academic year, over 50% of whom came from India and China. According to NAFSA, these students contributed $43.8 billion to the American economy and supported more than 378,000 jobs.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

Where does the U.S. rank among the world’s most educated countries? Find out in this infographic on the Voronoi app.