The number of new international undergraduate students joining colleges in the United States fell sharply this spring, highlighting growing concerns over the impact of Donald Trump administration policies on higher education and immigration.
According to a report released Monday by a coalition of education organizations, including NAFSA, foreign undergraduate enrollment dropped by an average of 20 percent compared to the same period last year.
The findings were based on responses from 149 American institutions. Around 62 percent of the surveyed colleges reported declines in both undergraduate and graduate international enrolment compared with spring 2025. Graduate programs saw an even steeper average drop of 24 percent.
International students have long been a major financial pillar for US universities because many pay full tuition fees. Their importance has grown further as colleges face declining domestic student populations. However, the Trump administration’s broader push to tighten immigration and reshape higher education has increasingly targeted foreign student pathways.
Although spring admissions generally involve fewer students than the fall intake, education groups say the trend offers an early indication of what could happen later this year. If the decline reaches similar levels during the larger fall admission cycle, many universities may face serious financial pressure.
The situation intensified last spring when agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained dozens of foreign students, in some cases directly from campuses and dormitories. Thousands of others reportedly lost their legal residency status. While many students eventually had their status restored after court interventions, the uncertainty appears to have had a lasting effect.
Overall international enrolment in the US had already slipped by 1.4 percent last fall. However, most of those students had begun applying before the administration escalated its crackdown on foreign enrolment.
The tougher measures accelerated in March when ICE agents began targeting students more aggressively. In May, the US State Department temporarily paused student visa interviews during the peak processing season before introducing stricter review procedures in June.
Fanta Aw said the latest survey suggests the fall intake could see an even deeper decline. She explained that international students often begin the application process a year or more in advance, meaning the full impact of recent policy uncertainty has yet to be reflected in enrolment figures.
Aw said the best-case scenario would be for fall enrolment to match spring levels, though she believes the situation is more likely to worsen.
In the survey, 84 percent of participating institutions identified restrictive government policies as the main reason behind the decline. More than one-third of colleges also warned that falling enrolment could force budget cuts.
The report further noted that student visa issuances dropped by 36 percent last summer.
The survey included responses from institutions not only in the US but also in countries such as Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom, all major destinations for international students. These countries also reported declines in enrolment linked to tighter immigration policies.
By contrast, colleges in parts of Europe and Asia reported growth in international student numbers.
