Overview
- Common App reported Thursday that international first‑year applicants fell about 10 percent, equal to roughly 16,000 fewer applications to its member colleges this cycle.
- Department of Homeland Security data show broader effects with a roughly 13 percent drop in international enrollment and a projection of about 112,000 fewer international students on U.S. campuses this fall.
- The decline is concentrated in Asia and Africa with double‑digit drops and is far larger at less‑selective colleges, which saw about a 20 percent fall compared with roughly 1 percent at the most selective universities.
- Several policy changes under the Trump administration that restrict students’ ability to change majors, transfer schools, or remain after graduation are cited by officials and analysts as a key reason applicants are pulling back.
- The shift could worsen financial strains for colleges that rely on international tuition, change campus demographics, and alter admissions behavior as more institutions restore SAT/ACT requirements and domestic applicant pools grow.