The decline in the number of Indian students attending US universities for studies is having a significant impact on the overall decline in new student enrollments in 2025.
A study conducted by the Association of Foreign Educators, NAFSA, and JB International indicates a 17% decline in new foreign student enrollment for the Fall 2025 session, which began classes in late August or early September.
For India, the top sender of international students whose numbers soared post-pandemic, the majority of institutions now report new enrollment declines, with only 39% of institutions noting increased or stable numbers.
These declines in new enrollment from India are likely driving the overall national decline in new enrollment, according to the report.
Earlier reports also suggested new student enrollment in U.S. colleges to decrease by nearly 50% in Fall 2025. According to US official data, compared to July 2024, the number of international students from India arriving in July 2025 decreased from 24,298 to 13,027, a fall of 46.4%.
The highest levels of new enrollment stability were observed in students coming from the United Kingdom, Canada, and Mexico, for Fall 2025.
The majority of institutions note that new international student enrollment from China (56%) and South Korea (60%), the second and third leading senders of international students, remained stable or increased in the fall of 2025.
The Fall 2025 Snapshot on International Student Enrollment presents the responses of 828 U.S. Higher education institutions on international student enrollments for the 2025/26 academic year.
96% of U.S. colleges and universities reported a decline in new enrollments due to visa application worries, and 68% cited travel restrictions as the primary concern.
96% of institutions reported that visa delays were due to extended wait periods, while 81% reported that the temporary pause in visa issuance from May 27 to June 18 hampered students’ ability to get visas.
But, what was the US education scenario in the 2024-25 academic year?
According to the Open Doors 2025 Report on International Educational Exchange, the leading annual benchmark for international educational exchange in the United States, nearly 1.2 million international students studied at US universities in the academic year 2024-25, a 5% increase from the previous academic year. Of the total U.S. higher education population, international students accounted for 6%.
However, the number of new international students enrolling at a U.S. college or university for the first time decreased by 7% to 277,118 in 2024–2025.
In 2024-2025, India remained the leading place of origin with 363,019 international students in the US, reflecting a 9.5% increase from the prior year.
The decrease in new international students began in the academic year 2024–2025 and became more noticeable in the fall of 2025, according to both reports.
Taking stock of the situation, it appears that fewer international students are choosing America as their primary study destination as a result of the Trump administration’s harsher immigration laws and regulations.
The decrease in international students coming to the US is likely due to the Trump administration’s immigration actions, which include halting visa interviews, canceling visas, and threatening to end Optional Practical Training.