International student arrivals take a dive under Trump
The number of international students coming to the United States fell by nearly a fifth at the beginning of this academic year, according to federal data. Foreign student registrations of colleges While the Trump administration has stepped up scrutiny of their visas.
International visitors to the United States on student visas decreased by 19% in August compared to the same month in 2024. National Travel and Tourism Office. Figures also fell in June and July, but August is usually the summer month when the most international students arrive – 313,138 this year.
Industry groups warn about international enrollment as federal government imposes restrictions on student visitors falls It threatens school budgets and the standing of American colleges in the world. Although the extent of the change is not yet clear, new data points to a reversal international registration It started to recover in the USA after the decline worsened by the Covid-19 epidemic.
Approximately 1.1 million international students were in the United States last year; this was an important source of income for tuition-focused colleges. International students are not eligible for federal financial aid, and many pay full tuition.
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Many California campuses, including the University of California system, have not yet released data on fall enrollment but have prepared for potential hurdles to attracting international students.
UC said its nine undergraduate campuses are offering space to an additional 3,263 first-year international students for fall 2025 admissions (but not admissions), up 17% from last year, according to data reported over the summer. UC also admitted 100,947 California freshmen, up 7% from last year.
UC said it was increasing international admissions due to “increased uncertainty regarding admissions prospects.” He noted that the share of international students choosing to enroll is “significantly lower” than that of California residents overall, and that the cost of not being a Californian at UC is increasing. Last year, the UC Board of Regents approved a 10% increase in “non-resident” tuition from $34,200 to $37,602.
At USC, the California campus that typically attracts the largest share of international students in the state, there were also concerns about a possible decline in foreign student enrollment.
The campus saw a small decrease in overall international enrollment, which stood at 12,374 last academic year. 11,959 this autumn. Chinese and Indian students make up more than half of the total foreign population, matching statewide trends.
But USC has also grown its first-year international community, according to university data on this fall’s new undergraduate class.
Of the 3,759 new freshmen enrolled this fall, approximately 21% or 789 are international. Last year, about 17% (593) of 3,489 freshmen were in the United States on visas.
California often attracts the largest international university community of any state. The biggest draws besides USC in 2024 were UC Berkeley, which enrolled 12,441 students; UC San Diego, 10,467 students; UCLA and 10,446 students, according to data from the Institute of International Education. STEM fields (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) were the most popular.
Visa difficulties and travel bans deterred some students
At the national level, many students planning to study in the USA were unable to enter the country due to the difficulty of visa procedures. Ministry of Foreign Affairs in late May Scheduling of visa interviews was suspended It resumed three weeks later with new rules for examining visa applicants for foreign students. social media accounts.
Clay Harmon, executive director of the Assn, said the timing of the pause created the “maximum possible impact” on fall visa processing. He is a member of Records Management International, a non-profit membership association.
A. Travel ban and other restrictions to 19 countries The Trump administration announced in June more uncertainty for some students. Most of the countries included in the ban were located in Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
Federal data on international declines shows that these regions experienced the largest declines in international student arrivals this August; A 33% decline was from Africa, 17% from the Middle East and 24% from Asia; This includes a 45% decline in India, the country that sends the most students to the United States.
The data includes returning students as well as new students, but some already in the U.S. have avoided traveling outside the country this summer for fear of problems re-entry.
Students have concerns about political climate, research funding and cost
Some international students and their families are wary of the Trump administration’s broader crackdown on immigration. In the spring, the federal government stripped thousands of international students of their legal status. cause panic Before the Trump administration reverse route. Trump also called for universities to reduce their reliance on foreign students. international registration limit.
Syed Tamim Ahmad, a UCLA senior who grew up in Dubai, said he was considering applying to medical school in the United States before last spring, when sudden student visa revocations and government suspensions of research funding for Harvard and other elite campuses began to intensify.
“When I was a freshman, it seemed like the United States provided the most opportunities of any country in terms of access to research funding and resources,” said Ahmad, whose major is physiological science. “But in my senior year, many of these pull factors became push factors. Funding was cut, labs were affected, and there was a fear among international students about what they were putting on social media and what they were putting online. It’s not the same sense of having freedom of expression in the US.”
Ahmad now plans to enroll in medical school in Australia.
“There’s a similar feeling among many students that if they’re going to graduate or continue their education, they need to go outside the United States,” said Ahmad, who previously served as the international representative for UCLA’s undergraduate student government. “But that’s not true for everyone. There are also a lot of people who believe there are good opportunities for them in the United States.”
Zeynep Bowlus, a higher education consultant in Istanbul, said interest in U.S. universities from families she works with has waned in the past few years, largely due to financial reasons and doubts about the value of an American degree. He said policy changes in the United States have increased concerns.
“I try not to over-dramatize the situation, but at the same time, I tell them the reality of what is going on and the potential obstacles they may face,” Bowlus said.
Institutions in other countries seized this opportunity. attract students More alienated from the US A growing number of Chinese students have chosen to stay in Asia, and international applications to universities in the UK have increased.
Elisabeth Marksteiner, a higher education consultant in Cambridge, England, said she would encourage families looking at American universities to approach the admissions process more carefully. He said a student visa is never guaranteed, but it’s especially important for families to have a backup plan.
“I think there’s an assumption that things will continue as they have in the past,” Marksteiner said. “My guess is not.”
Kaleem is a staff writer for The Times. Seminera and Keller write for the Associated Press.
