Nov. 17 (UPI) -- The enrollment rates of new international students at U.S. colleges and universities fell by 17% in the 2025-26 school year compared to the year prior amid efforts by the Trump administration to limit immigration, a report released Monday indicates.
The 17% decline was the largest single-year drop in new international student enrollments in the past 11 years, aside from 2020-21, which was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the report by IIE's Open Doors said.
Of the 825 institutions surveyed for the report, more than half said they had a decrease in new international student enrollment for the latest school year.
The overall enrollment of international students on U.S. campuses, though, was largely steady, declining by 1% from the 2024-2025 school year. Undergraduate enrollments were up by 2% while graduate enrollments declined by 12%.
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