In November, a report by the Council of Graduate Schools indicated that more international students are deciding to earn a graduate degree in the U.S. Between 2010 and 2011, there was an 8% increase in first-time enrollment of foreign students, following a 3% increase between 2009 and 2010. Many of these master's or doctorate degree seekers came from countries such as China, India, South Korea and Turkey.

The report shows that a majority, or 63%, of these graduate students planned on studying subjects like engineering or physical and Earth sciences, which include computer science and mathematics. However, another very popular major for international students is business. According to the report, the number of foreign students opting to pursue a business degree in the U.S. grew by 9% between 2010 and 2011.

More international students are pursuing MBA degrees at American schools. BusinessWeek recently reported that, according to its data, international enrollment at 20 of America's top Master of Business Administration (MBA) programs is beginning to grow for the first time since the economic downturn. Currently, global students comprise about 33.4% of these schools' student bodies, which is an increase from 30.2% during the economic crisis. During this time, various factors, such as visa-related problems, deterred foreign students from enrolling in American schools.

When it comes to obtaining visas, BusinessWeek reports that the rising approval rate of F-1 visas may have caused a jump in business school enrollment among foreign individuals. During the fiscal year ending in September 2010, about 385,210 people were issued F-1 student visas. This marked an increase of 54,000 from the previous year, according to State Department data cited by BusinessWeek.

"I think we are beginning to win a lot of these students back," David Ware, an immigration law attorney, told BusinessWeek. For many of them, their first choice was the U.S., and they were only going to the UK or Canada as a second choice. Now that visas are more readily available, that definitely would have a relationship to the uptick."

Still, BusinessWeek states that another reason for the increase in foreign enrollment is the growing recruitment efforts of American business schools in foreign countries. For example, Cornell University's Johnson School hosts recruitment initiatives in Israel and the United Arab Emirates. Additionally, the institution has alumni clubs in Dubai and Tel Aviv.