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The decrease is most pronounced in graduate studies programs, where enrollment dropped by 6 percent
Graig Graziosi in Washington, D.C. Thursday 15 January 2026 22:30 GMT- Bookmark
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The number of international students coming to study in the U.S. dropped for the first time in three years, according to new data.
Enrollments of foreign students at U.S. universities is down by 1.4 percent this fall, which is the first time the number has decreased in three years, according to recently released data from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.
The total number of international students across the country decreased by approximately 5,000, Bloomberg reports. The decline was most visible in graduate student programs, where enrollment dropped by 6 percent — representing approximately 10,000 students — after it exploded by more than 50 percent between 2020 and 2024.
Universities in recent years have worked to make themselves more appealing to international students, as they typically pay higher tuition than homegrown students. Many countries will provide funding for students to study in the U.S., and more than half of international students receive all of their funding through their parents rather than student loan programs, according to the Institute of International Education.
President Donald Trump’s general antagonism toward top universities and student activists, paired with his increasingly restrictive policies on visas and immigration have reportedly contributed to the downward trend.
The number of international students enrolling in U.S. universities decreased by 1.4 percent for the 2025-2026 academic year, according to data fro the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center (PA Wire)In 2025, Trump ordered federal funding cut or frozen for numerous universities, including Harvard, Cornell, Northwestern, Penn State University, Princeton, Brown, UCLA, and Duke. The cuts or freezes were ostensibly punishments for alleged antisemitism and civil rights violations on the campuses.
Harvard University alone lost access to billions of dollars until a judge ruled that Trump's orders were illegal.
Earlier this week on X, the Department of State boasted that it had revoked visas for 8,000 international students in an effort to "keep America safe."
Enrollment at the undergraduate level grew, but at a much slower pace than it has in previous years. There was a 3.2 percent increase in undergraduate enrollment this academic year, which was down from the 8.4 percent enrollment growth reported the year prior.
Harvard was one of the few universities to escape the trend. Its number of foreign students in the fall of 2025 increased slightly to 28 percent, representing about 6,749 students. That's the highest percentage of foreign students at the school since 2002, according to the university.
Other schools fared far worse. DePaul University in Chicago reported a 755 student drop in its foreign student population when compared to fall 2024. The number of new graduate students coming from outside the country was also down by almost 62 percent, according to Bloomberg.
The school said the decline was caused by visa issues and the "declining desire for international students to study in the U.S."
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