Declining International Student Applications to US Colleges: Impact of Trump Administration Policies

China ranks as the second largest provider of international students to US educational institutions after India.

The number of international students applying to US colleges has decreased this year, potentially reflecting the impact of White House policies aimed at limiting foreign enrollment since President Donald Trump took office in January.

According to a report published Thursday by the Common App, the most widely utilized college application platform in the country with over 1,100 university members, international applications through November 1 dropped by 9 percent compared to the previous year.

This decline was primarily driven by India, the largest source of international students to the United States, which experienced a 14 percent reduction in applications. This marks the first decrease in applications from India since 2020. Applications from Africa and Asia also fell significantly, by 18 percent and 9 percent respectively.

China, which provides the second highest number of foreign students to US institutions, saw a modest 1 percent decrease, halting the application surge observed a year ago. Among the ten countries that traditionally send the most international students to the United States, application numbers declined across all except the two with the lowest representation: Vietnam and Uzbekistan.

While international applications had shown growth by this point in the cycle last year, by March they had registered a slight overall decrease. This concluded an application season whose final months were characterized by federal restrictions on student visa holders and pressure on universities to reduce their dependence on international students, who typically pay full tuition rates.

Thus far this year, the Trump administration has canceled thousands of visas, detained students involved in pro-Palestinian activities, limited visa interviews, and implemented stricter application requirements. The administration has also targeted specific universities with substantial overseas student populations, initiating federal investigations into their international admissions practices, responses to antisemitism claims, and compliance with visa regulations.

As part of its ongoing pressure campaign, the White House recently reached a settlement with Cornell University to restore approximately $250 million in federal funding. This agreement required the Ithaca, New York-based institution to invest $30 million in agricultural research over three years, as well as pay an additional $30 million directly to the US government.

In July, Columbia University established an agreement with the administration that included a commitment to reducing its financial dependence on international enrollment and assisting immigration authorities in identifying foreign students who violate their visa terms.

The Common App data represents an early snapshot of college admissions trends and does not encompass the entire application cycle, which continues through March of next year.

The data also reveals other indications that the White House's pressure on higher education institutions is reshaping application patterns. The number of students submitting standardized test scores increased by 11 percent compared to last November. The Trump administration has advocated for colleges to reinstate standardized testing requirements that many institutions abandoned during the Covid-19 pandemic.