US sees 17% drop in new foreign students for fall 2025, India still leads: Report

A new set of enrollment figures from the Open Doors 2025 report shows that American universities are witnessing another downturn in fresh international admissions, even as India continues to dominate the total student count in the United States for a second straight year.

The early trends for the 2025-26 academic cycle indicate a 17% fall in new international enrollments for fall 2025, extending the 7% decline recorded in fall 2024.

According to the Institute of International Education, which publishes the report annually, India maintained its lead as the largest source of international students in the US in 2024-25, ahead of China.

The report says 363,019 Indian students were enrolled during 2024-25, a rise of 10% from 331,602 the previous year. Indian students represented 30.8% of the total 1,177,766 international students.

China followed with 265,919 students, a 4% drop from the previous year and its lowest representation in US institutions in at least eight years.

India had overtaken China in 2023-24, marking the first time in 15 years that it became the top sender of students to American campuses.

Together, India and China accounted for 53.4% of all international students in the US in 2024-25.

Other major contributors included South Korea with 42,293 students, Canada with 29,903, Taiwan with 25,584, and Nepal with 24,890.

The total number of international students in the US increased 4% in 2024-25, rising from 1,126,690 in 2023-24. However, new enrollments for fall 2024 slipped 7% to 277,118 from 298,705.

“This varied by academic level; the number of new undergraduates grew by 5%, while the number of new graduate students fell by 15%,” the report said.

The 2025 snapshot analysis, drawn from data submitted by more than 825 US higher education institutions, points to a deeper slide ahead.

The report highlights, “New international student enrollments those studying in the US for the first time dropped 17%. Many institutions continue to focus on international student recruitment, recognizing their value both for the diversity of perspectives they bring to campus and their financial contributions,” adding that 81% of institutions emphasized the importance of diverse viewpoints while 60% pointed to economic benefits.

The latest enrollment patterns come amid prolonged uncertainty surrounding US visa policies.

Officials and analysts have noted that stricter visa regulations and social media screening procedures introduced during the Donald Trump administration continue to influence international student mobility.

In 2024-25, STEM programs remained the most popular choice among international students, with 57% enrolled in science, technology, engineering, and math fields.

International students overall made up 6.1% of the US higher education population, which stood at 19,247,640 students during the year.

The report also highlights sharp shifts in visa issuance for the fiscal year ending 30 September 2024.

Despite the rising number of Indian students already present in the US, F visa issuances for Indian applicants fell by 33.2% compared with the previous fiscal year.

M visas for vocational and non-academic programs declined 18.2%, while J visas for cultural and educational exchange programs dipped 1.7%.

US visa data for Chinese students showed a mixed trend. F visas fell 3.6%, but M visa issuance rose 33.6%, and J visas increased 10.9%. For South Korea, F visas dropped 8.9%, M visas dipped 5.7%, and J visas rose 5.6%.