This drop comes after a 7.2% drop in new enrollments in the 2024–2025 school year, which was the time when the Biden administration was ending and President Trump's second term was just starting. During this time, universities saw a lot more visa revocations, interview cancellations, deportations, and cuts to federal funding. These policies had a big impact on foreign students.

The Institute of International Education most recent data shows that 57% of U.S. schools saw a drop in new international students for the 2025–2026 school year. Of these, 27% said the drop was "substantial."
The Institute of International Education said that long-standing worries about the visa process were a major factor.
Visa delays and denials were the main reason for the drop in numbers at 85% of the institutions that reported last year. That number has now shot up to 96%, which has caused a lot of worry among leaders in higher education.
Universities also talked about other climate-related issues. Sixty-seven percent of schools said that potential students were afraid of feeling unwelcome in the United States, and sixty-four percent said they were worried about the country's social and political climate.
Fanta Aw, the executive director and CEO of NAFSA: Association of International Educators, said that the trend could hurt the long-term health of America's academic ecosystem.
She said that international students add almost $42.9 billion to the U.S. economy each year and support more than 355,000 jobs. She also said that the country's pipeline of global talent is "in a precarious position."
Many people are calling for clear and stable immigration policies to keep the United States a popular place for students from all over the world to study, as universities continue to deal with falling enrollment.

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