The number of new international students enrolling in US colleges and universities has fallen by 17% this academic year, the largest drop in over a decade outside the pandemic, according to data released on Monday by the Institute of International Education (IIE). The decline follows a 7.2% drop in the 2024/25 academic year and reflects the impact of the Trump administration's aggressive immigration policies, including visa revocations, deportation threats, and funding cuts to universities.
The IIE's fall snapshot shows that 57% of surveyed institutions reported a decline in new international enrollments for the 2025/26 academic year, with 27% describing the drop as 'substantial'. Concerns over visa delays and denials were cited by 85% of institutions as the primary factor, while 67% pointed to students feeling unwelcome in the US, and 64% to the broader social and political environment.
Fanta Aw, executive director of Nafsa: Association of International Educators, warned that the US is losing global talent. 'There are alarming declines that we ignore at our own peril. Other countries are creating effective incentives to capitalise on our mistakes,' she said, noting that international students contribute $42.9bn annually to the US economy and support over 355,000 jobs.
Despite the drop in new enrollments, the total number of international students in the US held steady this year and increased by 5% in 2024/25 to nearly 1.2 million, according to the IIE's Open Doors 2025 report. Students from India, China, and South Korea remain the largest groups. However, experts caution that the decline in new enrollments signals trouble ahead. 'I'm really concerned about what this portends for fall '26 and '27,' said Clay Harmon of the Association of International Enrollment Management.
