Nine Categories, One Exact Reconciliation
Open Doors reports fields of study for the complete international-student population, including OPT participants. The categories therefore do not describe new enrollment alone, and their changes should not be interpreted as changes in first-time demand.
Across the nine categories published in the 2025 Fast Facts table, the changes sum exactly to the 51,076 increase in the Open Doors total.
The largest increase was in math and computer science, which rose from 280,922 to 305,377. Its gain of 24,455 was arithmetically equal to 47.9% of the total net increase.
Nine-category total: +51,076 (100.0%)
“Other fields of study” is a source-published category. Contributions are arithmetic, not causal.
Source: Open Doors 2025 Fast Facts. Analysis: Howdy Education Insights.
| Fast Facts field category | 2023/24 | 2024/25 | Change | Change ÷ total net increase |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Math & computer science | 280,922 | 305,377 | +24,455 | 47.9% |
| Engineering | 210,163 | 217,016 | +6,853 | 13.4% |
| Business & management | 159,810 | 159,857 | +47 | 0.1% |
| Physical & life sciences | 88,717 | 95,667 | +6,950 | 13.6% |
| Social sciences | 84,307 | 86,008 | +1,701 | 3.3% |
| Fine & applied arts | 54,159 | 49,542 | −4,617 | −9.0% |
| Health professions | 36,615 | 40,417 | +3,802 | 7.4% |
| Communications & journalism | 21,481 | 21,493 | +12 | 0.0% |
| Other fields of study | 190,516 | 202,389 | +11,873 | 23.2% |
| Total | 1,126,690 | 1,177,766 | +51,076 | 100.0% |
Raw changes reconcile exactly to +51,076. Rounded contribution percentages may not sum to precisely 100.0%. “Other fields of study” is the label used in the primary source.
Growth Was Concentrated but Not Uniform
Engineering added 6,853, and physical and life sciences added 6,950. Health professions increased by 3,802, while social sciences increased by 1,701. Business and management and communications and journalism were almost unchanged, adding 47 and 12 respectively.
Fine and applied arts moved in the opposite direction, declining from 54,159 to 49,542. The reduction of 4,617 was equivalent to 9.0% of the total net increase and offset part of the positive movement elsewhere.
The source-published “Other fields of study” category increased from 190,516 to 202,389, a gain of 11,873. That equals 23.2% of the total net increase. This is an official Fast Facts category, not a balancing category created for this analysis.
Sources
| Source | Purpose | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Open Doors 2025 Fast Facts | Exact field counts, source category names and annual total | DATA |
| Open Doors: Fields of Study | Field-series context | DATA |
| Open Doors International Student Census instructions | Field reporting and CIP classification basis | DEFINITION / METHOD |