Common App reported 1.5 million first-year applicants—an increase of 2 percent—during the 2025–26 application cycle.
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International student applications to American colleges dropped by 10 percent in the most recent application cycle—a decrease of roughly 16,000 students—according to data Common App released Thursday.
The figures show a major break from the upward trajectory of international applications over the past 10 years and reflect the impact of the Trump administration’s hard-line immigration policies. The landscape for international students in the United States has changed dramatically since the administration began revoking student visas, approving fewer new applications and limited the time international students can stay in the country. Department of Homeland Security data from the 2025–26 academic year showed an average 13 percent decrease in international student enrollment, and new projections say 112,000 fewer international students could be on U.S. campuses this fall.
The data represents applications to Common App’s 1,146 member institutions, which includes fewer than half of all public and private four-year colleges in the country.
