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U.S. Student Visa Arrivals Drop 28% in July as India and China Lead Steep Declines

Consular backlogs from new social-media screening are depressing fall enrollment expectations.

FILE — Arizona State University in Tempe, Ariz., Jan. 30, 2020. Arizona State is among a number of U.S. universities that will enroll fewer international students this fall in the wake of a maze of obstacles the Trump administration set up to slow or deter people entering the country. (Adriana Zehbrauskas/The New York Times)
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Total arrivals on student visas fell for the fourth straight month in July 2025, declining 28% to just under 79,000. (representational image)

Overview

  • Government data show 76,519 student entries in July, down 28.5% year over year, with India down about 46% and China down about 26%, and declines also reported from South Korea, Vietnam, Taiwan and the Philippines.
  • The State Department paused student-visa interviews in late May and resumed in mid-June with mandatory reviews of applicants’ social-media profiles, creating backlogs during the peak application period.
  • U.S. universities forecast roughly 30% fewer first-time international enrollments this fall, estimating about $2.6 billion in lost tuition revenue.
  • Alternative projections from NAFSA and JB International point to up to 150,000 fewer students, nearly $7 billion in economic impact and about 60,000 jobs affected.
  • Arrival statistics do not separate new from returning students, heightening uncertainty as campuses report financial strain, with USC citing a $200 million deficit and ASU saying visa delays have been more disruptive than the pandemic.