American higher education is increasingly a global export something colleges and universities are selling abroad. Now, a new report from the Brookings Institution finds certain cities around the globe are emerging as the hometowns of a large majority of foreign students studying in the U.S.

"The number one sending hometown of foreign students is Seoul, South Korea, to the whole United States. And in Boston, in particular, about 4 percent of students are from Seoul," said Neil Ruiz, a researcher with the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C.

His research shows that from 2008 to 2012 there were 53,000 foreign students studying full-time in Boston. And he says more and more of them came from Seoul because it's a large, fast-growing city and a major business hub. Also, many of the students from Seoul are studying management.