US universities are seeing a decline in international student enrollment, with experts warning that the decline could deepen as Donald Trump’s hard-line immigration policies continue to reshape the country’s higher education system.A new report released Monday found that international student enrollment for the spring 2026 semester is down 20% compared to the same period last year. The study was conducted by international education groups including NAFSA and surveyed 149 universities and colleges across the United States.More than 60% of institutions said they enrolled fewer foreign students in undergraduate and graduate programs.
Graduate enrollment was hit even harder, with universities reporting an average decline of 24%.These numbers have alarmed teachers, who fear that the United States will become a less welcoming destination for foreign students under Trump’s increasingly restrictive immigration agenda.Indeed, the number of international students arriving in the United States in August was down 19% from the previous year, including returning students. The total number of international students fell by 1.4% last fall, the first decline in three years.
New international student enrollment for fall 2025 decreased by 17%.Analysts believe the latest numbers may indicate a larger decline to come because many currently enrolled students applied before the Trump administration introduced many of its tougher policies.Simon Marginson, professor of higher education at the University of Oxford and founding director of the Center for Global Higher Education, said: “As long as the administration behaves as if it is in a world full of enemies, this will severely impact student numbers.”The report found that 84% of US institutions blamed “restrictive government policies” for declining enrollment rates.Since returning to office for a second time, Trump has expanded the travel ban to more than a dozen countries, tightened student visa rules and increased scrutiny of foreign applicants, especially Chinese students. The administration also pursued strict deportation measures, including detaining some international students and canceling thousands of student visas before later restoring many of them.“The administration’s hostile displays toward foreign students, the confiscations of students on the streets, and the forced expulsion of those on a database for minor misdemeanors such as parking fines have affected awareness of the international market,” Marginson said.“It takes years to correct these impressions even in a friendlier climate, and now the climate is not friendlier.”Universities are now starting to feel the financial pressure.
International students often pay full tuition fees, making it a major source of income for many institutions.NAFSA estimates that a 17% decline in new international student enrollment in fall 2025 alone could cost universities more than $1 billion in lost revenue. California, Massachusetts and New York are expected to take the biggest financial hit.Some universities have already begun cutting costs. DePaul University in Chicago reportedly implemented a hiring freeze, executive pay cuts and spending restrictions after international enrollment dropped by 30%.
Other institutions, including the University of Southern California and Northwestern University, have also cut budgets and cut jobs amid broader financial pressures.Beyond financial resources, the United States may lose out academically as highly qualified foreign students increasingly choose universities elsewhere.America, Britain, Canada and Australia have long dominated the international education market, but Asian universities are now gaining more ground.
The report found that 82% of institutions in the Asia-Pacific region recorded growth in international enrollments, while nearly half of European institutions also saw increases.Countries including Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Japan and South Korea have reported rising numbers of Chinese students in recent years.China itself is also emerging as a stronger global education hub, thanks to falling tuition costs, growing investment in research, and scholarship programs targeting students from Asia and Africa.
