New international student enrollment in the U.S. fell 17% in fall 2025 from the previous year, according to a Fall 2025 Snapshot from the U.S. Department of State and the Institute of International Education. The IIE’s Spring 2026 Snapshot projected another decline in overall international enrollment for the upcoming fall, while Common App reported that international applicants for the 2026-27 academic year fell 10%, the steepest drop on record. The decline was particularly pronounced among applicants from Asia and Africa, suggesting a shrinking pipeline for future enrollment. New rules ending traditional duration-of-status policies and limiting F-1 and J-1 visas to four years, alongside limited or delayed visa appointments and country-specific restrictions, could hit institutions unevenly. F-1 and J-1 visas are U.S. student-exchange visa categories. Crimson Education co-founder and CEO Jamie Beaton said the changes could accelerate a sorting process in which colleges unable to show a clear return on investment lose enrollment and cut programs, while elite institutions such as Harvard, Stanford, MIT and Duke remain strong. Fitch Ratings warned that colleges dependent on full-paying international students, especially those with large graduate and STEM programs, could face financial pressure because some degrees take more than four years to complete. NAFSA estimated the enrollment decline could cost local economies $3.4 billion and put up to 40,000 U.S. jobs at risk.