Community Colleges See Fastest Growth in International Students

Open Doors 2025: Community Colleges as a Serious Pathway for International Students

The latest Open Doors data includes a line that should make all of us pause—community colleges are seeing the fastest international student growth of any institution type, up around 8% this year.

As the Center for Global Advancement of Community Colleges, we’ve seen this growth firsthand for years. Our colleges have:

• Welcomed international students from all over the globe

• Helped them adjust academically and culturally

• Prepared and supported transfer-ready students on their journey to universities

We also know the question advisors and families ask constantly: “Are there scholarships or affordable options for undergraduate study in the U.S.?”

Very often, the most realistic answer is the community college pathway—lower tuition, merit scholarships in many cases, and the ability to significantly reduce the cost of the first two years.

The evidence is clear: our pathway works.

But the real question is whether we, as advocates and leaders, are investing in these partnerships at the level they deserve.

That means:

- Committing real resources by the transfer universities—staff time, joint outreach, shared campaigns—into building and strengthening key CC–university partnerships

- Being clear and proactive about transfer agreements, timelines, and funding, so advisors and families can confidently recommend this route

Our colleges have been powering international enrollment and transfers for years—and now the new Open Doors data makes that impossible to ignore. It’s time to match that reality with serious, intentional investment in the partnerships behind it.

In our work at the Center, we’re focused on making community college options and transfer opportunities easier to see and understand, and creating honest conversations about what’s working and what isn’t.

I’ll share more about that (including our December 18 webinar) in a follow-up post tomorrow.