A record 690,923 foreign students attended colleges and universities in the United States last year

Mass. a top destination in surge of foreign students to US
By Akilah Johnson
Globe Staff / November 16, 2010

Massachusetts is home to more international college students than all but three other states, according to a report released yesterday that also found foreign student enrollment at American universities is at an all-time high.

Boston University is among the 10 American universities with the highest number of foreign students, and Harvard, Northeastern, MIT, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst also have large numbers of students from overseas.

“The demand for higher education is rising around the world, and it’s rising particularly in countries that have a growing middle class: China, India, Brazil,’’ said Mike Armini, senior vice president of external affairs for Northeastern. “You have a huge middle class emerging out of China, and they’re looking for higher education. There’s a consensus that the American system is second to none.’’ the rest