Washington DC: Amid continued differences over immigration policies in the United States, fewer new students from overseas chose to attend American colleges in 2025, while new data indicates that enrollment could decline further in the year ahead, according to a report by CNBC.
Referring to a report released on Thursday by the Common App, CNBC noted that while overall application volume for undergraduate admission in the upcoming 2026-27 academic year increased, the number of international applicants through March 1 fell 10%, marking the steepest decline on record.
According to a Fall 2025 Snapshot from the US Department of State and the Institute of International Education (IIE), the number of new international students studying in the US during the fall 2025 semester fell 17% compared with the previous year. The IIE’s Spring 2026 Snapshot also estimated another drop in overall international enrollment for the upcoming fall.
As per CNBC, the Common App data showed a pronounced decrease in applicants from Asia and Africa. With fewer students outside the US creating accounts on the college application platform, the pipeline for future international enrollment is likely to shrink further, according to Common App researchers.
While the impact is not likely to be felt across America’s leading Ivy League colleges because of their deep international applicant pools, the real impact may be felt a few tiers down.
As per CNBC, Jamie Beaton, co-founder and CEO of Crimson Education, a college consulting firm, underlined that while private colleges are reliant on international students, if applications start to diversify to the UK, Australia or Singapore, the impact on revenue is likely to be felt.
“Mid-ranked private colleges and regional public flagships are quite reliant on full-pay international students, and when those applicants start to diversify to the U.K., Australia or Singapore, these schools can’t backfill the revenue since the domestic pipeline is shrinking with the demographic cliff, and they can’t raise prices on a market already questioning their ROI,” he said.
As per the report by CNBC, changes in student visa policy could also come at a significant economic cost.
Citing an analysis by NAFSA: Association of International Educators, it mentioned that the US has been the top host of international students, mostly from India and China, but this year’s enrollment decline is projected to cost local economies a collective $3.4 billion. The report also found that the loss of students could put as many as 40,000 US jobs at risk.
The report comes amid developments regarding visa applications, as US Vice President JD Vance backed support for the proposed new six-figure fee for H-1B visas. The fresh move would apply to most new applicants and stands at $103,265, replacing an earlier plan to charge $100,000 for the visa that was struck down by the courts.
