The Financial Contribution of International Students

Every year, NAFSA, the Association of International Educators, in collaboration with JB International, produces the Economic Value Report for the United States and each state. To gather the data to create the reports, international offices at colleges and universities complete the IIE Open Doors survey.

 

Each spring, university staff provide detailed data on the international students attending their institutions, including degree level, country of origin, program of study, marital status, and much more. The official report from NAFSA is released during International Education Week the following November. The data released in November 2025 demonstrated that international students contributed $42.9 billion to the US economy during the 2024-2025 academic year.

 

Explore the Data

 

 

At home in Wyoming, international students contributed $25.5 million to the state in 2024-2025, according to the most recent NAFSA Economic Value Report. In addition to the financial contribution, the 967 international students in Wyoming supported 160 direct and indirect jobs in communities where those students live and study. These are jobs in industries such as dining establishments, retail stores, transportation, accommodations, insurance, and communications. In Laramie, home of the University of Wyoming, international students supported 136 jobs and contributed $18.8 million.

 

Wyoming Impact Report 2024

 

 

The financial contributions made by our international students are important, but secondary, to the groundbreaking research, classroom participation, and cultural perspectives they bring with them. We know the presence of international students on a university campus is vital to a rich academic community, providing a unique viewpoint due to differing backgrounds, languages, school systems, and socio-economic status. Our communities are stronger economically, intellectually, and socially when international and domestic students study and learn together.