Results are provided of surveys taken during the 1977-78 academic year of all two-year and four-year institutions listed in the "Education Directory 1976/77." Information is presented on: number and location of foreign students, 1954/55-1977/78; distribution of students by type of institution; distribution of foreign students in U.S. by major geographic region; states with most foreign students; institutions with foreign students; distribution of foreign students enrolled in public and private institutions; and distribution of foreign students enrolled in two-year and four-year institutions, 1977-78. Information on the origin of students includes the following: foreign students in U.S. by continent of origin and by continental subregion, foreign students from OPEC, leading countries of origin of foreign students, and percentage of foreign students by institutional type and geographic subregion. Additional characteristics reported include percentage distribution of foreign students by sex and distribution by academic level and fields of study. Graphs are presented and appendices include taxonomies of geographical and field of study data, survey materials including the institutional questionnaire, and foreign student enrollment by institution and by home country. (SW)