U.S. Sees 20 Percent Drop in New International Students

American universities are beginning to see international student enrollment drop, coinciding with President Donald Trump's increasingly restrictive immigration policies, and institutions in Asia and Europe may stand to benefit.

Foreign student enrollment at U.S. universities for the 2026 spring semester fell by 20 percent from last spring, according to a new report by organizations including U.S.-based international education nonprofit NAFSA. The report, published on Monday, surveyed 149 U.S. schools. Around 62 percent of those institutions reported lower international student enrollment in both undergraduate and graduate programs compared to last year. At the graduate level, U.S. universities recorded an average fall of 24 percent.

Prospective students around the world may be responding to Trump’s aggressive anti-immigration agenda, which has directly targeted foreign-born students in the U.S. and created a less attractive higher education and job environment for non-Americans. The Trump Administration has also sought to reshape American higher education, including slashing or threatening to withhold funding from top universities.

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