US universities are seeing a fall in foreign student enrolment, with experts warning the decline could deepen further as Donald Trump’s hardline immigration policies continue to reshape country’s higher education system.
A new report released on Monday found that international student enrolment for the spring 2026 semester fell by 20% compared with the same period last year. The study was conducted by international education groups including NAFSA and surveyed 149 universities and colleges across US.
More than 60% of the institutions said they had recorded lower numbers of foreign students in both undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. Graduate enrolment was hit even harder, with universities reporting an average decline of 24%.
The figures have alarmed educators, who fear US is becoming a less welcoming destination for overseas students under Trump’s increasingly restrictive immigration agenda.
Already, international student arrivals into US in August fell by 19% from the previous year, including returning students. Overall international student numbers dropped by 1.4% last autumn, marking the first decline in three years. New foreign student enrolment for autumn 2025 fell by 17%.
Analysts believe the latest figures may signal an even bigger downturn ahead because many students currently enrolled had applied before the Trump Administration introduced several of its hardline policies.
“As long as the Administration acts as if it is in a world full of enemies, that is going to severely impact student numbers,” said Simon Marginson, professor of higher education at Oxford University and founding director of the Centre for Global Higher Education.
The report found that 84% of US institutions blamed “restrictive government policies” for the drop in enrolment.
Since returning to office for the second time, Trump has expanded travel bans affecting more than a dozen countries, tightened student visa rules and increased scrutiny on foreign applicants, particularly Chinese students. The administration has also pursued aggressive deportation measures, including detaining some international students and revoking thousands of student visas before many were later restored.
“The Administration’s performative displays of hostility to foreign students, street seizures of students, forced expulsion of those on a data base for minor misdemeanors like parking fines, have seared into international market awareness,” Marginson said.
“It takes years to correct such impressions even in a more friendly climate and right now the climate is not more friendly.”
Universities are now beginning to feel the financial strain. International students often pay full tuition fees, making them a major source of revenue for many institutions.
NAFSA estimated that the 17% drop in new foreign student enrolment for autumn 2025 alone could cost universities more than $1 billion in lost revenue. California, Massachusetts and New York are expected to suffer the biggest financial hit.
Some universities have already started cutting costs. DePaul University in Chicago reportedly introduced a hiring freeze, executive pay cuts and spending restrictions after international enrolment dropped by 30%. Other institutions, including the University of Southern California and Northwestern University, have also reduced budgets and cut jobs amid wider financial pressures.
Beyond finances, US could lose out academically as highly qualified foreign students increasingly choose universities elsewhere.
America, Britain, Canada and Australia have long dominated the international education market, but Asian universities are now gaining ground. The report found that 82% of institutions in the Asia-Pacific region recorded growth in undergraduate international enrolment, while nearly half of European institutions also saw increases.
Countries including Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Japan and South Korea have all reported rising numbers of Chinese students in recent years.
China itself is also emerging as a stronger global education hub, helped by lower tuition costs, growing research investment and scholarship programmes aimed at students from Asia and Africa.
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