A Quarter of US-Trained Scientists Eventually Leave. Is the US Giving Away Its Edge?

TL;DR

This study reveals that a quarter of US-trained STEM PhD graduates leave the US within 15 years, but the US still benefits significantly from their work through patents and innovation, despite migration.

Contribution

It provides new comprehensive data on US-trained scientists' migration patterns and quantifies the ongoing benefits to the US economy and innovation system.

Findings

25% of US-trained STEM PhDs leave within 15 years

US benefits from foreign-trained scientists' work even after migration

US patent citations from these scientists remain significantly high

Abstract

Using newly-assembled data from 1980 through 2024, we show that 25% of scientifically-active, US-trained STEM PhD graduates leave the US within 15 years of graduating. Leave rates are lower in the life sciences and higher in AI and quantum science but overall have been stable for decades. Contrary to common perceptions, US technology benefits from these graduates' work even if they leave: though the US share of global patent citations to graduates' science drops from 70% to 50% after migrating, it remains five times larger than the destination country share, and as large as all other countries combined. These results highlight the value that the US derives from training foreign scientists - not only when they stay, but even when they leave.