The number of international students in the US has dropped by about a fifth at the start of the academic year, according to international student data, the latest sign of foreign enrollments as their visas are filed.
International visitors to the US on student visas declined 19% in August compared to the same month in 2024, according to tourism data. The numbers are declined for June and July, but August is the summer month that sees the most international student arrivals – 313,138 this year.
As the Federal Government cracks down on student visitors, industry groups have warned of declining enrollment in America’s school and college budgets. Although the magnitude of the change remains to be seen, the new data suggests a shift in international writing that was repeated in the US with the reduction caused by the covid-19 pandemic.
About 1.1 million international students were in the United States last year – a source of revenue for tuition-based colleges. International students are eligible for Federal financial aid, and many pay full tuition.
Photo in California
Many California campuses, including the University of California System, have not yet released data on fall enrollment but are prepared for potential obstacles in pulling Internals.
Fall 2025 Admissions – Not Enrolled – UC said its nine donor campuses offered seats to 3,263 first-year international students, a 17% increase over last year, according to data reported this summer. UC also admitted 100,947 first-year California students, up 7% from last year,
UC said the increase in international admins was due to ‘the uncertainty of the importance of their registration opportunities.’ It noted that the share of accepted internationals who choose to enroll is generally “significantly lower” than that of California residents and that the cost of being a Californian at UC has risen. Last year, the UC Board of Regents approved a 10% increase in “non-disclosure” tuition from $34,200 to $37,602.
At USC, the California campus typically attracts the largest share of internationals in the state, and it was concerned about the potential drag on international student enrollment.
The campus saw a slight drop in international enrollment, from 12,374 last academic year to 11,959 this fall. Chinese and Indian students make up more than half of the foreign population, with similar trends.
But USC has also grown with its first-year community, according to university data about this new undergraduate class.
Of the 3,759 new first-year students enrolled this fall, approximately 21%, or 789, are Interns. Last year, about 17% of the first-year 3,489 – 593 – Americans on visas.
California usually attracts the largest international college community of any state. In 2024, in addition to USC, the biggest draw was UC Berkeley, which enrolled 12,441 students; UC San Diego, 10,467 students; and UCLA, 10,446 students, according to data from the Institute of International Education. The STEM fields – Science, technology, engineering and mathematics – were very popular.
Visa challenges and travel restrictions deter some students
Nationally, many students who had plans to study in the US are unable to enter the country due to difficulties in obtaining visas. At the end of May, the State Department suspended the planning of foreign dialogues, which resumed three weeks later with new rules for Vet social media accounts.
The moratorium had a “high impact” on visa issuance during the Fall Semester, said Clay Harmoni, executive director of the assn. of international management, a non-profit membership organization.
The travel ban and other restrictions for 19 countries that the Trump administration announced in June have created more uncertainty for some students. Most of the countries included in the ban were located in Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
Federal data on International Dips Show that states experienced a drop in August student rates of 24% from ASIA, including a 45% drop from the US
The data includes both incoming and outgoing students, but some who have been in the U.S. are protected from traveling outside of the country this summer for fear of problems reoccurring.
Students are concerned about the political situation, financial research and costs
Some international students and their families have come to the end of the Trump Administration’s broad crackdown on immigration. In the spring, the federal government stripped thousands of international students of their legal status, causing panic before the Trump administration returned them. Trump also called on colleges to reduce their reliance on international students and international enrollment.
Syed Tamim Ahmad, a senior at UCLA who grew up in Dubai, said he is considering applications to medical school in the US before spring for research and funding freezes that are some of the candles that are starting to strengthen.
“When I was a freshman, it seemed that all the American countries offered more opportunities in terms of research funding and resources,” said Ahmad, whose major is physical science. “But in my senior year, a lot of these pull factors became push factors. Funding was cut, which affects the labs, and what they put online.”
Ahmad now plans to enroll in medical school in Australia.
“There is a common feeling among many students – that if they are going to graduate or continue their studies they should go outside the US,” said Ahmad, who had served in UCCLA’s Undergraduate Student Government as a national representative. “But not everyone. There are also many people who believe that there are good opportunities in America.”
Zeynep Bowlus, a higher education consultant in Istanbul, said that interest in US universities among the families he works with was problematic a few years ago due to financial reasons. Policy changes in the US add to the concerns, he said.
“I try not to make it too big, but at the same time, I tell them the reality of what’s going on and the potential challenges they may face,” Wawlus said.
Institutions in other countries are seizing that opportunity to attract students that can cool the growing numbers of US Chinese students.
Elisabeth Marksteiner, a higher education consultant in Cambridge, England, said she would encourage families looking to attend American universities to discuss the admissions process. Student visas have never been guaranteed, but it’s more important now for families to have a backup plan, she said.
“I think the assumption is that it will all continue as it has in the past,” Marksteiner said. “My thinking is not like that, not at all.”
Kleem is a staff writer for the Times. Seminara and Keller write for the Associated Press.
