International student enrollment at American colleges fell sharply this year as the Trump administration’s sweeping immigration crackdown reshaped higher education, according to new data released Monday.
The Institute of International Education reported a 17 percent plunge in new foreign student enrollment for the current academic year, the steepest decline in more than a decade excluding the pandemic. The drop follows a 7.2 percent fall in 2024/25, a period split between the final months of the Biden administration and the start of Trump’s second term, when visa revocations, interview cancellations, deportations and funding cuts hit universities.
For 2025/26, 57 percent of surveyed institutions said new international enrollment declined, and 27 percent described the decrease as “substantial.” The IIE said concerns about the visa process remain the dominant issue, with 96 percent of institutions citing delays or denials as a primary factor, up from 85 percent a year earlier. Many schools also pointed to students’ worries about “feeling unwelcome in the US” and the broader “social and political environment.”
“A close read of enrollment figures from last year and this fall shows that the pipeline of global talent in the US is in a precarious position,” said Fanta Aw, chief executive of Nafsa: Association of International Educators. She warned that international students contribute $42.9 billion to the economy and support more than 355,000 jobs. She added that “other countries are creating effective incentives to capitalize on our mistakes.”
The Trump administration has long sought to reduce the foreign student population, which makes up about 6 percent of US college enrollment. In August, the White House introduced a rule limiting how long student visa holders can stay. Trump also tried to block some universities, including Harvard, from admitting foreign students, although a federal judge issued a permanent injunction.
Financial pressure has also become a central tool. Columbia University saw its $400 million in federal funding restored only after agreeing to changes following campus protests and deportation threats earlier this year.
The IIE noted that the overall number of international students in the US held steady in its fall snapshot and rose 5 percent in 2024/25 to almost 1.2 million. “The US remains the destination of choice for international students from over 200 places of origin worldwide,” said Mirka Martel, the organization’s head of research. Students from India, China and South Korea continue to comprise the largest groups.
Still, experts warn the latest figures may foreshadow deeper declines. “There are warning signs for future years, and I’m really concerned about what this portends for fall ’26 and ’27,” said Clay Harmon of the Association of International Enrollment Management.
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