The number of foreign students enrolling in US universities has dropped for the first time in 3 years

• Graduate international student enrollment in US colleges fell by 5.9% in fall 2025.
• The drop comes as the Trump administration has clamped down on immigration and restricted visas.
• School administrators typically welcome foreign students because they often pay the full fees.

Graduate international student enrollment at US universities is down after years of steady growth amid the Trump administration's immigration clampdown.

There were almost 10,000 fewer foreign students signing at the graduate level in fall 2025, a 5.9% decline from the year before, according to data released by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. Meanwhile, a 3.2% increase at the undergraduate level added 5,000 students to the numbers coming from abroad, the data showed.

Combined, international and domestic enrollments showed a slight increase. In total, there were 19.4 million postsecondary enrollments — 16.2 million undergraduate, and 3.2 million graduates — up from the 19.2 million enrollments the year before.

International students are typically welcomed by school administrators because they often pay the full fees. However, in a post on X this week, the State Department said it had revoked 8,000 student visas as part of its mission to "keep America safe."

The State Department reopened student visa applications in June last year, having temporarily halted them. It said applicants would have to set their social media accounts to public — a requirement extended to others applying for visas just before Christmas.

The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center did not immediately respond to a Business Insider request for comment.