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Student Mobility and Motivation: United States
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9 September 2026
Insights
Capabilities
Conferences
The United States is one of the 'Big Four' student recruitment markets, and is a leading destination for international students, and a source of globally mobile learners. Student Mobility and Motivation: United States brings together insights from the QS International Student Survey and QS Global Student Flows to provide a holistic picture of mobility. In the report, discover inbound and outbound trends covering:
- The subjects students want to study, and how this has changed since 2022
- Expectations of students when contacting universities
- The information sources students use
- What drives student decision-making
Get an excerpt of our analysis below, or download the full report.
What Do US-Bound Students Want to Study?
After two years, Business and Management has reclaimed top spot as the most popular subject for students looking to study in the US. Engineering and Technology returns to second place with 16.4%. Computing completes the top three but has seen declining interest since 2022.
Interest in other subjects has remained largely flat, with no other subject reaching 10%. The biggest risers since 2022 are Subjects allied to Medicine (+2.2pp), Business and Management (+1.9pp) and Law (+1.2pp).
These trends align with other QS metrics:
- The US’ Ivy League institutions have improved their median rank in Business by 4.5 in the last three years, up to 25.5. In Engineering and Technology, on the other hand, the Ivy League’s median rank moved down by 7 in 2026.
- The declining interest in computing aligns with a decline in ranking performance. In the last three years, the US average Median Rank in Computer Science has declined by 212.
Students choose the US primarily for academic quality and career outcomes. In 2026, the top drivers are high-quality teaching, welcoming to international students, well-ranked universities, good graduate employment options, and network building. Of these, only network building and graduate employment options have increased in importance since 2022, speaking to a wider trend of career-led factors increasing. Post-study work visa appeal rose from33% to 39%, graduate employment rose from 39 to 43% and network building increased from 38% to 42%. Cost is becoming less of a factor, with affordable cost of living falling from 36% to 32%, while affordable study stayed flat at 35%.
Overall, the US proposition is becoming less about affordability and more about quality, employability, networks, and post-study opportunity.
Key questions to consider:
- Are your program marketing prioritise aligned with where student demand is growing?
- Are you demonstrating career outcomes as clearly as academic reputation?
- Does your student marketing reinforce the messages that resonate most?
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