Harvard University saw a big drop in the number of Indian students enrolment in the fall of 2025, even though the Ivy League school recorded its highest-ever share of international students during the same period.
Data released by the university shows that Indian enrolment fell by about 31 per cent compared to the previous academic year. This decline came at a time when overall international enrolment at Harvard edged up, despite constant pressure from the Trump administration on US universities.
International students reach a historic high
In the fall of 2025, international students made up 28 per cent of Harvard’s total enrolment. This is around 6,749 students, the highest share recorded since at least 2002, according to university data.
Harvard added roughly 50 international students, a rise of less than 1 per cent. Still, it stood out in a difficult year marred by legal battles over funding freezes, visa restrictions and immigration crackdown affecting F-1 students. Across the US, the picture was less positive. According to the Institute of International Education’s Open Doors report, overall foreign student enrolment at American universities fell by 1 per cent during the same period.
Indian student enrolment drops in Harvard
In fall 2025, Harvard enrolled 545 students from India across its various schools. A year earlier, in the 2024–25 academic year, that number stood at 788. Here is how Indian students were distributed across Harvard in fall 2025:
- At Harvard College, there were 31 Indian students.
- The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences enrolled 107.
- The Business School had 115 students from India.
- The Dental School enrolled 6.
- The Design School had 41.
- The Divinity School enrolled 7.
- The Graduate School of Education had 36.
- The Kennedy School of Government enrolled 71.
- The Law School had 22 Indian students.
- The Medical School enrolled 17.
- The T.H. Chan School of Public Health had 25.
- The Extension School enrolled 67 students from India.
Chinese enrolment rises, remains the largest group
While Harvard recorded fewer Indian enrollees, enrolment from China moved in the opposite direction. Harvard enrolled 1,452 students from China in fall 2025, an uptick from 1,203 the year before, an increase of about 4.5 per cent. Chinese students continue to be the largest international group at the university.
The breakdown for Chinese students shows strong representation across schools, including 591 at the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, 218 at the Design School, 176 at the T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and 75 at the Medical School. Enrolment from South Korea also rose, increasing by 8.7 per cent, while numbers from India, the UK and Canada were either flat or lower.
India overtakes China in US student numbers, but elite campuses tell different story
The Open Doors 2025 report, released by the Institute of International Education, shows that the US hosted 1,177,766 international students in the 2024–25 academic year. Of those students, 363,019 came from India, making it the largest source country. China followed with 265,919 students. Overall figures show who is studying across thousands of US campuses. But they do not explain where students are landing within the system, or which institutions they are choosing.
When the focus moves to elite universities, the India–China order can reverse. Harvard University is a clear example of this contrast.
Harvard has also been at the centre of President Donald Trump’s efforts to reshape higher education in the US. Last year, the Trump administration froze billions of dollars in federal research funding and attempted to block Harvard from enrolling international students after the university refused to comply with federal demands.
Federal courts later ruled in Harvard’s favour in two major legal challenges involving funding cuts and visa restrictions. However, the administration has appealed both decisions.