Institutions were more likely to say they anticipate large drops in their graduate than their undergraduate international enrollment.
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Last summer, colleges were dealing with the fallout of a chaotic spring for international education, as the Trump administration canceled students’ statuses in the Student Exchange and Visitor Information System, paused F-1 visa interviews, implemented new social media screenings for applicants, and detained students based on their political beliefs.
Now, a year later, many have begun acclimating to the new normal, shifting their enrollment projections and recruitment strategies based on declining international enrollment. A new report by the Institute of International Education, an international education nonprofit and the organization that facilitates the Fulbright program, sheds some light on how institutions were thinking about international education this spring.
Here are five major takeaways from the organization’s Spring 2026 Snapshot, which surveyed 585 U.S. colleges and universities.
