Julia Oliver, manager of the study, said the survey dates back to 1966 and has been used recently as one of the factors for tracking how the nation is responding to the impact of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and resulting VISA restrictions.

“This is the second year now we’ve seen a healthy response with foreign students coming back to the United States,” she said.

MSU had 2,240 international graduate students enrolled last semester, or about 57 percent of the university’s total international student enrollment.

Since 2001, MSU has had a 6.7 percent increase in graduate-level international students and a 28 percent increase in international students.

Shantanu Majumdar, an electrical engineering graduate student from India, said he has noticed many international students enrolled in the College of Engineering.

The U.S. infrastructure and MSU’s reputation as a good research facility contributed to his decision to pursue graduate-level work, Majumdar said.

“Professors here encourage us to think freely and fully, and being given that freedom works toward encouraging international students to study here,” he said.

MSU colleges with the most international students include the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Eli Broad College of Business, College of Engineering and College of Natural Science.

Peter Briggs, director for the Office for International Students and Scholars, said there has been a large increase in international students worldwide the past two years.

The increase, he said, is nice to see since post-Sept. 11 regulations made international study difficult to pursue.

International students pursuing engineering and science fields might be drawn to the areas of study for the “prestige factor” and high demand in technical fields, Briggs said.

“The labor force needs technical talent, and I don’t know if our technical needs for the country are being met,” he said.