Overview

• Government data show just over 313,000 student entries in August, a 19% year-over-year decline and the fifth straight monthly drop, leaving arrivals down nearly 12% for the year through August.
• The pullback is concentrated in Asia, with arrivals down 24% to about 191,000, including a 45% slide from India and a 12% decline from China.
• Africa recorded the steepest percentage fall at about 33%, while Western Europe was largely unchanged with a drop of less than 1%.
• The downturn tracks 2025 policy moves that tightened access, including a pause in new student-visa interviews, expanded social-media screening, a DHS rule capping student length of stay, and a new $100,000 H‑1B application fee.
• Universities and analysts warn of billions in lost tuition, with NAFSA estimating roughly $7 billion at risk this fall if enrollment drops deepen, after international students contributed nearly $44 billion and supported 400,000 jobs in 2023–24.