The Comparison of International Doctorate Recipients Intending to Stay in the USA

The numbers of international students from several world countries and their intentions to stay in the United States (US) after completing their doctoral studies are very important for sending and receiving countries. The first objective of this study is to make a comparative analysis of the numbers of foreign students who received their doctoral degrees from US universities and their intentions to remain in the US based on their countries and regions. The second objective is to examine the effectiveness of four migration theories to explain research results. Used data came from National Science Foundation and National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics. The data were analyzed as frequencies, percentages, and ratios. The comparisons of the research results indicate that some countries and regions are leading other world countries and regions based on their student numbers and the rates of their students’ intentions to stay in the US. The four migration theories could explain partially the research findings.