JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — The number of foreign students enrolled at Missouri colleges and universities has topped 16,000.

An annual report by the Institution of International Education says Missouri’s public and private higher education facilities had 16,061 international students during the 2011-2012 academic year. That was up 6.3 percent from the previous year.

The state Department of Higher Education says most foreign students pay full tuition at Missouri institutions. The report estimates that international students spent about $418 million in Missouri.

The University of Missouri-Columbia had the most international students, with about 2,200. Washington University in St. Louis was second, with about 2,000.

China provided the largest number of international students in Missouri, accounting for about 29 percent of the total.

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