Nearly 20% fewer international students travelled to the US in August

NEW YORK - The number of international students arriving in the US in August fell 19 per cent in 2025 compared with 2024 – the largest decline on record outside of the pandemic.

The decline is occurring as the Trump administration has delayed visa processing, instituted travel bans or restrictions for 19 countries,

threatened to deport international students for pro-Palestinian speech

and heightened the vetting of student visa applicants.

The data, based on arrival records of international student visitors, includes both new international students entering the US and existing international students returning to the country. That means we do not know the number of students alone.

But in the past, August arrivals have been a reasonably good indicator of autumn enrolment. Most international students arrive in August, in time for the autumn semester, as they cannot enter the country more than 30 days before their programmes begin.

A separate federal database tracking international students tells a similar story. It shows that the rise in the total number of international students was 23 per cent smaller this autumn, against the same period in 2024. Because this number accounts for both new students and recent graduates, it also points to a decline in the numbers of new students.

Though the actual enrolment numbers are not known yet, the travel data offers an early sign of international student trends, and how they vary among countries and regions.

A large drop in students arriving from Asia

The US hosts the most international students of any country: about 1.3 million doctorate, master’s, bachelor’s and associate students, according to recent government data.

More than 70 per cent are from Asia, and Asian students also make up the largest share of travellers in the data. In 2025, the number of Asian students arriving in the US in August fell 24 per cent – the lowest August numbers on record outside of the pandemic.

Nearly one in three US international students is Indian. The number of international students arriving from India had already started to decline in 2024. But in August, it dropped by an additional 44 per cent, following prolonged delays in processing student visas.

About one in five US international students is from China. Since the pandemic’s end, fewer Chinese students have enrolled in US universities, following heightened tensions between the US and China. In August, the numbers of arriving Chinese students continued to decline.

Number of students arriving from Europe stayed mostly the same

Students from Europe make up about 7 per cent of US international students. But they comprised about 16 per cent of international student arrivals in August. Their arrival numbers stayed roughly similar to those of the past year.

There were more students arriving from Britain, and slight declines in the numbers of students from Spain and Germany. The largest drop in European student visitors was from Russia, which has had strained relations with the US.

Declines from Africa, the Middle East and South America

Students from Africa also make up about 7 per cent of international students in the US. Their arrival numbers fell in August by nearly a third.

The shares of students arriving from Ghana and Nigeria fell by nearly half in August.

In July, the US placed tighter rules on many categories of visas for citizens of Ghana, Nigeria, Ethiopia and Cameroon. These visas now allow a single entry to the US and are valid for three months (student visas typically allow multiple entries and are valid for many years). In September, the US reversed these restrictions for Ghana, after the country agreed to accept people deported from the US.

The data also shows a decade-long decline in students arriving from the Middle East, who made up roughly 5 per cent of all international students in 2024, driven largely by a drop in students from Saudi Arabia.

The number of students arriving from South America (about 6 per cent of international students) also showed a decline in 2025, despite student travel having been relatively steady aside from the pandemic.

Reasons for the decline

Why did fewer international students arrive in the US in August? Here are a few possibilities:

1. Visa delays

Many international students have had difficulty obtaining student visas in 2025. In late May, the State Department paused student visa interviews for three weeks during the peak period that these visas are issued.

When interviews resumed, there were wait times of months to secure an interview at some consulates. As a result, some students may not have been able to obtain a visa in time for the autumn semester.

It is not clear yet how many student visas were issued over the summer – the State Department reports this data on a lag. But the data from May shows a 22 per cent drop in F-1 student visa issuances (the most common type of student visa), compared with the previous May.

2. Travel bans

In June, the State Department also instituted a travel ban or visa restrictions for citizens of 19 countries, which further limited student travel.

Iran is one of the countries with a travel ban. The travel data shows that the number of arriving Iranian students dropped 86 per cent in August – the largest decline for any country in the data in 2025.

Data from the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (Sevis) showed that the autumn spike in international student enrolment from countries with a travel ban was nearly 70 per cent smaller in 2025.

3. Increased uncertainty

With the Trump administration’s approach to immigration, some foreign students may view the US as a less welcoming or reliable option for study.

A survey by the Institute of International Education found that visa delays, difficulties entering the US and the possibility of visa revocations among the top reasons that colleges expect a decline in their international student enrolment.

“The problem isn’t that the students have lost confidence in the quality of US education. They have lost confidence in our administration’s commitment to international students,” said Dr Fanta Aw, chief executive of Nafsa: Association of International Educators, a non-profit dedicated to international education.

4. Less travel overall

Some colleges have advised their currently enrolled international students to avoid international travel, such as going home for the summer, warning that they may not be able to re-enter the US.

The data available so far combines new and existing student arrivals. So a decline may, in part, reflect a reluctance of existing international students to travel internationally over the summer. For now, these factors cannot be separated until more data arrives.

But the mix of problems for international students has led to what Dr Aw calls “a perfect storm”. Her organisation has projected a 3 per cent to 40 per cent drop in new international student enrolment this autumn, with a cost of nearly US$7 billion (S$9 billlion) to the economy.

“The impact of this is going to be felt long term,” she said.

What colleges may be affected?

The colleges that might be most affected by a decline in international students are generally not the most selective colleges, but ones that are the most dependent on these students, said economics professor Dick Startz, who analyses trends in higher education.

Here are three kinds of colleges that could be the most affected:

1. Stem graduate programme

The majority of all international students in the US are enrolled in graduate school, more than 80 per cent of whom are studying Stem (science, technology, engineering and maths) subjects.

A New York Times analysis of recently released data from the Department of Education found more than 220 mid-sized or large in-person master’s programmes in which the majority of graduates were international. In 55 of those programmes, all in Stem or legal fields, more than 95 per cent were international.

Master’s programmes have had the largest growth in international students over the past five years, and these programmes have also shown the largest decline in their growth in 2025, according to Sevis data. At the University of Central Missouri, which graduated more than 1,500 international master’s degree students in 2024, the Associated Press reported that new international student enrolment dropped by half.

Many teaching assistants and researchers in undergraduate laboratories and Stem programmes are also international students, and a sustained drop in international students could make it harder to operate some of these programmes.

2. Smaller arts schools and Christian colleges

The undergraduate colleges with the highest shares of international students are disproportionately small art and design schools, music conservancies and Christian colleges.

An analysis by credit rating agency Moody’s pointed out that some of these smaller speciality programmes are at higher risk of insolvency if international students decline significantly. Inside Higher Ed has reported signs of decreased international enrolment at some of these colleges.

3. Flagship state schools

At many state schools, international students pay considerably higher tuition fees than in-state residents. A drop in international enrolment could be a financial burden to these colleges, as well as to the local economies that benefit from the students’ presence.

For example, Ohio State reported in September that its enrolment of new international students dropped by 314 students, or nearly 38 per cent. And at Indiana University, new international student enrolment fell by 443 students, or 30 per cent, across all of its campuses.

What’s next?

Experts say a sustained drop in the numbers of international students could diminish American competitiveness in science and engineering.

Nearly three-quarters of international students who receive a doctorate in science and engineering stay and work in the country after they graduate, and more than 40 per cent of all doctorate-level scientists and engineers in the US are born outside the country. The newly instituted US$100,000 fee for H-1B work visas is likely to further reduce the flow of Stem workers. NYTIMES