Particle.news
Download on the App Store
45 ARTICLES
·
4w ago

New International Student Enrollments in U.S. Drop 17% in Fall 2025, Survey Finds

Visa delays tied to stricter screening are cited by 96% of colleges as the chief cause.

People walk on the campus of Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on April 15, 2025.
Students at the University of Pennsylvania.
Image
TOPSHOT - People hold up signs during the Harvard Students for Freedom rally in support of international students at the Harvard University campus in Boston, Massachusetts, on May 27, 2025. Harvard students protested Tuesday after the US government said it intends to cancel all remaining financial contracts with the university, President Donald Trump's latest attempt to force the prestigious institution to submit to unprecedented oversight. (Photo by Rick Friedman / AFP) (Photo by RICK FRIEDMAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Overview

  • Overall international enrollment held roughly steady this fall after a 5% rise to about 1.18 million students in 2024–25.
  • The downturn was led by graduate programs, with graduate numbers down 12% as undergraduate enrollment rose 2% and OPT participation increased 14%.
  • Colleges reported widespread declines in new students from India, the top source country, likely driving the national decrease.
  • Institutions pointed to this year’s visa actions — interview pauses, expanded social‑media checks, revocations and proposed limits on stays — as key drivers of delays.
  • Campuses are extending flexibility, with 72% offering deferrals to spring 2026 and 56% to fall 2026, while NAFSA estimates about $1.1 billion in lost economic activity.