Indian Student Enrollment at US Colleges in 2025 Experience Sharp Decline

US colleges are seeing a big drop in students coming from India for 2025. Graduate student enrollment from India dropped to 10% for 2024-25, and overall international enrollment is expected to drop 17 per cent in fall 2025. Over 61 percent US schools reported fewer Indian students, reporting concerns over visa applications, of about 96 percent and travel issues, News AIR reports.

Despite the drop in graduate programs, India is still the largest source of international students for 2024-25, making up almost half of all graduate students and one-third of the total international enrollment, marking a 10 per cent increase overall.

This decline is linked to stricter international student rules from the Trump era. This included investigations into H-1B visa misuse, a proposal for a $100,000 H-1B application fee, and efforts by some lawmakers to tighten or end the H-1B program. Since January 2025, the State Department has cancelled at least 6,000 student visas. International students make up about six per cent of the US higher education population and contribute nearly $55 billion to the economy, supporting over 355,000 jobs.