In the fall of 2025, there has been a further decrease in the number of international freshmen choosing to study at universities in the United States. For some universities, this decline also signifies a reduction in revenue and economic losses. Some universities have expressed concerns that this trend will also impact other areas, as international students are considered essential for driving scientific research and progress. California, known for having the largest number of international students, may face a greater impact.
According to reports released earlier this month by the U.S. Department of State and the National Association of Foreign Student Advisors (NAFSA), the number of international freshmen studying in the United States for the fall 2025 semester has decreased by 17% compared to the previous year.
The “Open Doors Report” by the Institute of International Education (IIE) shows that before the Trump administration temporarily paused new visa applications in the spring, there were nearly 1.2 million international undergraduate and graduate students in the U.S., with the majority coming from India and China, accounting for about 6% of the total higher education population in the United States.
While the United States has traditionally been a top destination for international students, its enrollment pipeline has long been under pressure. Data from “Open Doors” shows that the number of new international students entering from overseas also declined in the fall semester of 2024, marking the first drop since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in the 2020-2021 academic year.
The decrease in international student enrollments will have widespread economic implications, with universities and their students being hit the hardest.
Foreign students typically pay full tuition, making international student recruitment a significant source of revenue for colleges and universities, as concluded by “Open Doors” based on a survey of over 825 institutions.
President Trump stated in an interview on Fox News’ “The Ingraham Angle” on November 10th that he plans to double the annual number of visas issued to Chinese students from the current 300,000 to 600,000 within the next two years. This plan is aimed at preventing half of the universities in the United States from closing down.
(Adapted from CNBC reports)