Fewer International Students Enrolling at US Colleges and Universities
The Trump administration has tried to incentivize schools to keep their population of foreign students below 15 percent of total undergraduate enrollment.
Graduating Harvard student Victor Flores and others rally in support of international students during the Harvard Students for Freedom rally at the Harvard University campus in Boston, Mass., on May 27, 2025. Rick Friedman/AFP via Getty Images
The number of international students enrolled at U.S. higher learning institutions is decreasing, especially at the graduate school level, according to a recent federal report.
The Open Doors report, released on Nov. 17 by the Institute of International Education, indicated that new enrollments for international students this fall semester are down 17 percent from 2024.
Aaron Gifford
Author
Aaron Gifford has written for several daily newspapers, magazines, and specialty publications and also served as a federal background investigator and Medicare fraud analyst. He graduated from the University at Buffalo and is based in Upstate New York.
