US colleges are seeing a sharp decline in international applications this year, Bloomberg reported, suggesting that the White House’s push to limit foreign enrollment since President Donald Trump took office may be having an impact. India, the largest source of international students in the US, has driven much of the drop.
According to the Common App, the widely used college application platform with over 1,100 member universities, international applications submitted by November 1 fell 9% compared to last year. Applications from India declined 14%, marking the first drop from the country since 2020.
Africa saw an 18% decline, while overall applications from Asia fell 9%. China, the second-largest contributor, posted a modest 1% drop, slowing the strong growth seen last year. Of the top ten countries sending students to the US, applications fell across the board except for Vietnam and Uzbekistan.
“International applications had increased by this point last year, but by March, they had fallen slightly overall,” Bloomberg reported, noting that last year’s decline coincided with a federal crackdown on student visas and growing pressure on universities to reduce reliance on foreign students, who often pay full tuition.
This year, the Trump administration has revoked thousands of visas, restricted visa interviews, imposed stricter application requirements, and arrested students involved in pro-Palestinian activities. Specific universities with large numbers of international students have faced federal scrutiny over admissions practices, reports of antisemitism, and visa compliance.
The White House recently reached an agreement with Cornell University to restore about $250 million in federal funding, requiring the school to invest $30 million over three years in agricultural research and pay an additional $30 million directly to the US. Earlier, in July, Columbia University agreed to reduce its financial reliance on international enrollment and assist immigration authorities in monitoring visa compliance.
Common App data represents early trends and does not cover the full application cycle, which continues through March. The numbers also reflect changes encouraged by the administration, such as a push to reinstate standardized testing requirements, which saw an 11% rise in students reporting scores compared to last November.
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