The newly released data showed an overall 1% decline in the total number of international students, including Optional Practical Training (OPT), while new international enrolments fell by 17%.
This year’s survey had one of the highest response rates of its 20-year history, with the 825 responding institutions home to “well over half” the country’s international student total, said IIE’s head of research, evaluation and learning, Mirka Martel.
Unpacking the overall 1% decrease, international graduate student numbers fell by 12% this fall, while undergraduate enrolments grew by 2% and OPT participation saw continued growth of 14%.
This comes as the new Open Doors report for the 2024/25 academic year saw a 4% increase in international undergraduates and 3% fewer graduate students. Largely due to a 21% boost in OPT participation, total international levels increased by 4.5%. Meanwhile, new international enrolments decreased by 7% in 2024/25.
While a 17% drop in new international enrolments this semester confirms sector fears about the impact of visa restrictions under the current administration, it falls short of the potential 30-40% crash forecast by NAFSA and JB International.
Notably, the fall snapshot data does not disaggregate new enrolments by study level, and the snapshot figures do not account for students’ country of origin.
According to Martel, international enrolments have stabilised following a surge after the pandemic. “The record highs in recent years were largely driven by pent-up demand during COVID, and as anticipated, this trend is now levelling off to more sustainable levels,” she said.
And she said that the drop in international enrolments, more modest than some had feared, showed the US remains an attractive option for students “while also emphasising the work of institutions which continue to prioritise international student recruitment and work to support students during their time in the US.”
Among the universities and colleges reporting declines in new enrolments, 96% cited visa application concerns and 68% pointed to travel restrictions preventing international students arriving on campus this fall.
The results follow a period of unprecedented policy hostility towards international students in the US, such as the State Department’s suspension of new visa interviews at global consulates this June – the peak time for F-1 visa processing.
Other policies including stricter social media screening, travel restrictions on 19 countries and proposals to set time limits on student visas have further added to student uncertainty and diminished the appeal of the US as a study destination.
Amid the volatility, nearly three quarters (72%) of surveyed institutions said they are offering international student deferrals to spring 2026, and more than half (56%) are providing deferrals to fall 2026, according to the snapshot.
“Institutions continue to prioritise international student outreach due to a variety of factors… 81% of institutions tell us that the value of international student perspectives is an important factor for prioritising international student outreach,” Martel said.
Meanwhile, 60% of institutions said the financial contributions of international students led them to prioritise recruitment, as well as 56% citing alignment with institutional strategy.
81% of institutions tell us that the value of international student perspectives is an important factor for prioritising international student outreach
Mirka Martel, IIE
At the undergraduate level, institutions are prioritising outreach in Vietnam, India, Brazil and South Korea, while focussing on graduate recruitment efforts in India, Vietnam, China and Bangladesh, the survey showed.
Notably, more colleges and universities are also focussing on international students already in the US, with half the survey’s respondents reporting engaging at US high schools and nearly one third recruiting current international undergraduates to pursue graduate studies.
The snapshot survey is the latest to underscore how vital OPT is to America’s appeal as a study destination, with 92% of respondents indicating that without the post-graduation work stream, students would likely look beyond the US for education.
OPT participation has boomed since the end of the pandemic, with Open Doors data showing growth rates of 21% and 22% respectively over the past two years, with Indian students’ participation in OPT up 47% in 2024/25 compared to the previous year.
But the program has come under increased political scrutiny from the current administration, with a senior senator recently calling for OPT to be scrapped, alongside multiple legislative attempts from republican lawmakers to abolish the workstream.
As policy challenges mount on America’s international higher education sector, different datasets have shown varying pictures of the state of international enrolments at US campuses, with stakeholders highly anticipating IIE’s fall snapshot results.
In August, new federal data from the International Trade Administration (ITA) revealed a 19% decline in international student arrivals to the US, serving as a warning sign of incoming fall enrolments.
But the arrivals data did not distinguish between new student arrivals and returning students, with experts at the time warning the metric didn’t account for existing students who were reluctant to leave the US over the summer.
The overall 1% drop revealed by the snapshot survey rings true with October’s SEVIS data recording the same percentage decline, though the latter does not disaggregate OPT from current students, masking the decline in new enrolments.
