This researched draft has not yet received final editorial approval.
Research cutoff: · Updated:Studying abroad and leaving permanently
Student migration is a movement through education that may overlap with longer-term migration, but the two are not equivalent. A person studying overseas may return, continue to another destination, or enter employment abroad. Counting students at foreign institutions does not establish which of these outcomes follows. The Stanford Iran 2040 Project's research on migration and IIE's destination-country statistics address different parts of this larger picture. s1s2
The Stanford study places student mobility within the history of Iranian migration and the international distribution of scholars. Its account describes changing educational migration over time and discusses graduate scholarships as one route that can reduce financial barriers to study abroad. This is a historical research interpretation, published in 2020, rather than a current census of students or a direct measure of present-day motivations. s1
[s1] [s2]Who is being counted?
Definitions are essential when comparing sources. The Stanford research discusses Iranian-born students and scholars of Iranian descent, whereas Open Doors organizes its international student statistics by place of origin. These categories should not be silently combined into a single worldwide total. A person already living abroad before university also has a different migration history from someone who leaves Iran specifically to study. s1s2
Open Doors, published by the Institute of International Education, counts international students associated with U.S. higher education, including participants in Optional Practical Training, a category of practical work experience. Consequently, its total is broader than a count of people currently taking classes and narrower geographically than a worldwide count of Iranian students. It is also an academic-year population measure, not the number of new departures from Iran during that year. s2s3
[s1] [s2] [s3]What the U.S. series shows
The accompanying table preserves the academic-year observations published in the Iran country fact sheet. It shows a decline followed by recovery, with the latest observation still below the first observation displayed. These totals describe one destination and cannot establish whether worldwide Iranian student mobility followed the same path. s2
Comparability also requires a warning. During the pandemic, Open Doors broadened its definition to include students studying remotely from outside the United States. Beginning with the 2024 report, it excluded that group and returned to its pre-pandemic definition. The underlying table therefore contains a documented coverage change, and differences across that transition should not be interpreted as pure changes in physical mobility. s3
For assessing consequences in Iran, overseas enrollment is a starting point. Evidence on return, onward movement, subsequent employment, and continuing research connections is needed to distinguish temporary study from lasting loss or circulation of expertise. The historical study explores the wider migration question, but the student-count dataset below cannot resolve those outcomes or explain individual decisions. s1s2
[s1] [s2] [s3]| Reporting period | International students from Iran reported in Open Doors (persons) |
|---|---|
| 2017/18 | 12,783 observed — Pre-pandemic coverage; academic-year total, including OPT.[s2] |
| 2018/19 | 12,142 observed — Pre-pandemic coverage; academic-year total, including OPT.[s2] |
| 2019/20 | 11,451 observed — Academic-year total before the expanded reporting definition used in Open Doors 2021–2023.[s2] |
| 2020/21 | 9,614 observed — Expanded pandemic definition includes qualifying enrollment from outside the United States; not a count of persons necessarily physically present there.[s2] [s3] |
| 2021/22 | 9,295 observed — Expanded pandemic definition includes qualifying enrollment from outside the United States.[s2] [s3] |
| 2022/23 | 10,812 observed — Final academic year covered by the expanded definition in Open Doors 2021–2023.[s2] [s3] |
| 2023/24 | 12,430 observed — Coverage break: online students outside the United States are excluded, restoring the pre-pandemic definition.[s2] [s3] |
| 2024/25 | 12,656 observed — Post-pandemic reporting definition; includes OPT and excludes online students outside the United States.[s2] [s3] |
Sources & research notes
- [s1] Migration and Brain Drain from IranStanford University, Iranian Studies, Iran 2040 Project · Discussion of student migration, graduate scholarships, migration definitions, and scholars abroad; paper identified by the project as April 2020 · Accessed 2026-10-27
- [s2] Country and Area Facts and Figures 2025: IranInstitute of International Education, Open Doors · PDF page 11, Iran, International Students Totals, 2017/18–2024/25 · Accessed 2026-10-27
- [s3] About: International Student CensusInstitute of International Education, Open Doors · Definition changes for Open Doors 2021–2023 and beginning with Open Doors 2024 · Accessed 2026-10-27
limitations
- The numerical evidence concerns the United States and cannot support a current worldwide total.
- The Stanford working paper supplies historical context rather than verified migration conditions in 2026.
- A table is used instead of a continuous trend chart to keep attention on the documented coverage changes.
- The undated methodology page was inspected after the editorial cutoff; it documents changes associated with releases preceding that cutoff.
data gaps
- Comparable observations for the earlier part of the default 2012–2026 research window were not retrieved.
- No verified 2025/26 or 2026/27 observation is included; elapsed calendar time does not establish data availability.
- Current worldwide destination totals, return rates, onward migration, and post-study employment outcomes were not verified.
- The historical workbook download could not be inspected through the browser; the published country fact sheet supplies the observations used here.
coverage period
Quantitative evidence: academic years 2017/18–2024/25; historical interpretation: working paper published in 2020