Open Doors, supported by a grant from the Department of State's Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs, provides a comprehensive information resource on international students and scholars studying or teaching at higher education institutions in the United States, and U.S. students studying abroad for academic credit at their home colleges or universities.

Every year, U.S. embassies, the Departments of State, Commerce, and Education, and U.S. colleges and universities use Open Doors data to inform policy decisions about educational exchanges, trade in educational services and study abroad activity.

To mark the start of International Education Week, the Institute of International Education released Open Doors 2010 data on November 15, 2010. The report contains statistics and trends regarding international students enrolled in U.S. colleges and universities during the 2009 through 2010 academic year and U.S. students who studied abroad for academic credit at their home institutions in the 2008 through 2009 academic year, including summer of 2009.