The number of international students coming to the United States fell much more sharply last year than people had realised, according to a new analysis of US Department of State data by the Chronicle of Higher Education.
Between May and August 2025, an important period for university enrolments, the US issued 97,000 fewer F‑1 student visas worldwide. This was a 36 per cent drop compared to the same months in 2024.
A preliminary survey of colleges conducted last year had suggested a 17 per cent fall in new international-student enrolments. The new visa figures are far more worrying. India, the top source of international students for the United States, saw an especially big drop.
American consulates there issued only about 22,000 student visas over the summer, a decline of more than 60 per cent.
The global drop in visas is likely linked to a nearly month-long freeze on student-visa interviews that the State Department imposed in late May. But it may also reflect falling interest in studying in the United States after policies from the Trump administration, including cancelling the legal status of thousands of foreign students last spring.
“Although many of those visa cancellations — which often appeared based on minor run-ins with the law, such as traffic violations — were reversed, they sparked alarmed headlines worldwide,” the analysis said. Other policy changes, such as a proposed time limit on student visas and reforms to a federal programme that lets recent graduates work in the US for up to three years, may have made students rethink their plans. Threatened cuts to research funding also led some colleges to reduce graduate admissions.
International students have been very important for master’s programmes since the pandemic and make up a large share of doctoral programmes, especially in STEM subjects. The drop in new visas could cause financial problems for colleges that rely on tuition from international students. Last year, international students contributed almost $43 billion to the US economy, according to NAFSA: Association of International Educators.
International enrolments had bounced back strongly after the pandemic, but visa numbers had already started falling in 2024, dropping about 12 per cent from May to August. The 2025 figures show that the decline is much worse than many colleges expected, causing concern as they plan for the new academic year.
The steep fall in students from India could have a big effect, since the country has been a major driver of international enrolment growth. Colleges are already adjusting budgets and staff because of these drops, showing how important visa rules and student confidence are for international education.
