U.S. President Barack Obama proclaimed Sept. 15 – Oct. 15, 2015 as National Hispanic Heritage Month. During this month-long celebration, the countries of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Mexico, Chile and Belize celebrate their independence days, and we recognize the heritage, culture and contributions of Hispanic and Latino Americans.

HispanicHeritageMonth.org defines Hispanic or Latino as people of Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish cultures or origin. According to the recent data from the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS), there are more than 100,000 F-1 and M-1 students studying in the United States who hail from Mexico, the Caribbean, and both Central and South America.

If you want to learn more about where international students who study in the United States come from, check out SEVIS by the Numbers and our interactive guide, Mapping SEVIS by the Numbers. You can view international student trends on the continent, region and country level. This tool also includes information on the gender and education level for students.

Are you one of the many international students of Hispanic origin studying in the United States as an F or M student? Stay up-to-date on the rules and regulations surrounding the U.S. international student process by connecting with Study in the States on social media.