According to the fall 2025 snapshot released by the Institute of International Education (IIE), first-time international student enrolments in U.S. colleges and universities have taken a sharp hit. The data shows a 17 percent drop in new international students, even though overall enrolment of international students declined by only about 1 percent compared to the previous year.

Sharp Fall in New Enrolments

The survey covered 825 U.S. higher education institutions, representing more than half of all international students studying in the country. The major decline in new enrolments is being driven by fewer incoming graduate students. Graduate enrolments among international students fell around 12 percent, while undergraduate enrolments increased slightly.

Institutions reporting declines cited visa delays, travel restrictions, and broader immigration policy concerns. Nearly 96 percent of schools that saw declines pointed to visa issues, and about 68 percent cited travel-related restrictions as a factor.

Broader Impacts and What to Watch

While the total number of international students stayed relatively stable, the decline in new students signals deeper challenges for U.S. higher education. International students contribute significantly to campus diversity, academic research, and tuition revenues. The drop in new enrolments thus raises concerns both for institutions and the broader economy.

Experts believe that visa processing delays, increased scrutiny of foreign applicants, and the shifting global competition for students are eroding the United States’ attractiveness as a destination for higher education. With new student numbers falling, many colleges face financial pressure—especially those that rely heavily on graduate international students.

Some institutions are already responding with new recruitment strategies, outreach programmes, and flexible enrolment options such as deferring matriculation or expanding scholarships for international students. However, the ramp-up in international student recruitment by other countries could further intensify the challenge.

For U.S. colleges and universities, the key questions now are how rapidly the decline will deepen, how policy changes will affect the pipeline of global learners, and whether institutional strategies will succeed in offsetting the drop. The upcoming full-year data from the IIE will provide a clearer picture of the trend.

In the meantime, the current fall data suggests that while international representation on U.S. campuses remains largely intact, the future growth of new international student enrolments is under threat—a development that may have long-term implications for academic research, global talent flows, and institutional sustainability.