Nigeria has climbed to eighth place among countries sending students to the United States, with 21,847 Nigerians enrolled in American higher institutions in the 2024/2025 academic year. Data from the Open Doors report shows a consistent rise in Nigerian enrollment over the past five sessions, moving from just under 13,000 students in 2020/2021 to crossing 14,000 the following year, rising above 17,000 in 2022/2023, and exceeding 20,000 in 2023/2024, with the latest count reflecting a 9.1 percent increase year-on-year. Despite the growth, Nigeria slipped one place in the global ranking after Taiwan posted a higher total, though the country remains one of the top contributors to the US international student population.
Total international student enrollment in the US reached an all-time high of over 1.1 million for the 2023/2024 session, with India currently leading as the largest source after overtaking China, which previously dominated the ranking for more than a decade—India sent 363,019 students in 2024/2025 compared to China’s 277,398 in 2023/2024. However, towards the end of the last session, new international student enrollments began showing signs of decline, influenced by emerging policy shifts following President Donald Trump’s January 2025 inauguration, with reports indicating that major US immigration policies and actions affecting enrollment primarily stemmed from heightened restrictions, vetting, and enforcement that led to visa challenges and created uncertainty deterring some prospective students.
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