Graduate, Undergraduate and OPT: How the U.S. Chinese Student Mix Is Changing

Data Snapshot

This analysis combines the Institute of International Education's Open Doors 2020 report and annual China fact sheets. It follows four categories from 2018/19 through 2024/25: undergraduate, graduate, non-degree and Optional Practical Training, or OPT.

The four categories sum to the published Chinese international student total in each academic year. Graduate includes master's and doctoral students, which the public country fact sheets do not separate. OPT is post-completion practical training and is included in the Open Doors total, but it is not a currently enrolled degree category.

Method note: Open Doors 2021 through 2023 included some students studying online from outside the United States. Beginning with Open Doors 2024, the survey returned to its pre-pandemic definition. Changes across that period combine real mobility shifts with a temporary change in statistical coverage.

Charts

Graduate and OPT shares gained relative weight

Undergraduate numbers recorded the largest decline

What Changed

Before the pandemic, the overall Chinese total was nearly flat, but the internal mix had already begun to move. Between 2018/19 and 2019/20, undergraduate numbers declined 0.5%, while graduate numbers rose 2.8% and OPT rose 1.9%. The total increased only 0.8% because gains in graduate study and OPT offset declines in undergraduate and non-degree participation.

The pandemic period accelerated the separation between levels. From 2019/20 to 2021/22, undergraduate numbers fell 26.1%, compared with a 10.1% decline among graduate students. Non-degree participation fell 60.9%, while OPT declined 28.3%. In 2021/22, graduate students exceeded undergraduates for the first time in this series: 123,182 compared with 109,492.

After 2021/22, the mix continued moving toward graduate study and post-completion training. From 2022/23 to 2024/25, undergraduate numbers fell another 21.7% and graduate numbers fell 4.6%, while OPT grew 12.4%. The 2024/25 population contained 41,646 more graduate students than undergraduates, reversing the 15,484 undergraduate lead recorded in 2018/19.

Why It Matters

Undergraduate decline explains most of the total contraction. Between 2018/19 and 2024/25, the Chinese total fell by 103,629. The undergraduate category accounted for 70,297 of that decrease, or 67.8%. A national headline about total decline is therefore incomplete without showing which level moved most.

Composition and growth are not the same thing. Graduate share rose by 9.1 percentage points and OPT share rose by 4.4 points, yet their absolute counts were still 9.9% and 11.5% below 2018/19. Their relative weight increased partly because undergraduate and non-degree populations contracted faster.

OPT requires separate interpretation. Participants remain in the Open Doors international student total while gaining practical work experience after study. A higher OPT share can reflect the accumulated result of earlier graduate cohorts, program duration and post-study participation; it is not evidence that current degree enrollment or new applications increased by the same amount.

The national mix does not identify program demand. The data do not separate master's from doctoral students, fields of study, institution type, applications, offers, first-time enrollment or final enrollment by program. It establishes a structural baseline rather than an admissions forecast.

Implications for Students

A smaller undergraduate population does not automatically make a particular college easier to enter. Applicants still need institution-level evidence on academic fit, cost, aid, outcomes and international student support. National composition is background, not an admission probability.

Graduate applicants should not treat a larger graduate share as proof that every master's or doctoral field is expanding. Program-level demand, funding, research fit and employment conditions can move differently from the national total. OPT participation also does not guarantee employment or a particular immigration outcome.

Implications for Institutions

For undergraduate recruitment, the data indicate a deeper structural challenge than a temporary total decline. Institutions need to understand family-level concerns about cost, safety, academic value and outcomes rather than assume that the previous volume will return automatically.

Graduate recruitment and student support should be planned together. A larger graduate and OPT share means more of the Chinese population is concentrated in advanced study and the transition from education to practical training. Clear career information and compliant, timely international student advising become more important.

Institutions should track each level separately across inquiry, application, offer, deposit, visa, enrollment, persistence and OPT. A single China total can conceal opposite movements and lead to the wrong recruitment response.