Overview
- An IIE fall 2025 snapshot reports a 17% year-over-year decline in new international student starts, the steepest nonpandemic drop in more than a decade.
- A new NAFSA–Oxford Test of English–Studyportals survey says just under half of U.S. institutions saw fewer international undergraduates and 63% saw postgraduate declines, with 85% naming visa and government policies as a major barrier, while Asia and Europe mostly reported stability or growth.
- Open Doors 2024–25 still counts roughly 1.17 million international students in the U.S., with India leading at 363,019 (+10%) and China down to 265,919 (-4%).
- NAFSA estimates this fall’s downturn reduced international students’ economic contribution by about $1.1 billion and cost nearly 23,000 jobs.
- Colleges are expanding deferrals and flexibility, with about 72% allowing spring 2026 starts, 56% extending to fall 2026, and a 39% jump in deferrals, while many plan market diversification and brace for budget cuts.