US International Student Enrollment by Origin Country: Steepest 2025-2026 Declines
By Muntasir Minhaz • Published Aug 19, 2026
Total international enrollment in the US grew 5 percent in 2024-25 to 1,177,766 students, but new student enrollment for fall 2025 fell sharply, and visa data shows India, Nigeria, and Ghana took the steepest drops in new arrivals.
📊 Full 2024-25 headcount: 1,177,766 international students, up 5 percent, with India still the top sender at 363,019.
New international enrollment for fall 2025 fell 17 percent, while new graduate enrollment fell 12 percent.
India's F-1 visa issuances dropped more than 60 percent in summer 2025 compared with a year earlier.
Nepal, Bangladesh, and Ghana still hit record total enrollment for 2024-25 even as fall 2025 new arrivals slowed.
China's enrollment kept slipping, down 4 percent to 265,919, continuing a multi-year trend.
The full-year headcount grew, then new arrivals dropped
The Open Doors 2024-25 report counted 1,177,766 international students at US colleges and universities, a 5 percent increase from the prior year, according to the Institute of International Education (IIE) . That count covers students enrolled through the 2024-25 academic year, largely before the visa disruptions of 2025 took hold.
The picture shifted for students starting in fall 2025.
IIE's Fall 2025 Snapshot, based on a survey of 825 institutions, found new international student enrollment down 17 percent from fall 2024, while new graduate enrollment fell 12 percent.
Optional Practical Training (OPT) participation rose 14 percent over the same period, as students already in the country used that work authorization instead of new students arriving.
Where the declines concentrated
India remained the largest sending country in the 2024-25 headcount, with 363,019 students, up 10 percent. India also absorbed the steepest hit to new arrivals.
F-1 visa issuances to Indian students fell more than 60 percent in summer 2025 compared with the same months in 2024, driven largely by a monthlong pause in visa interview scheduling, according to Georgetown University's coverage of State Department visa data . Nigeria and Ghana saw declines of a similar scale over the same period.
China's enrollment kept sliding in the official headcount, down 4 percent to 265,919 for 2024-25, continuing a decline that predates the recent visa disruptions.
Where numbers held or grew
Despite the rockier fall 2025 picture, several countries hit record total enrollment in the 2024-25 Open Doors count. Nepal grew 48.7 percent, Ghana grew 36.5 percent, and Bangladesh grew 17.9 percent year over year, per IIE. Twelve of the top 25 sending countries, including Bangladesh, Canada, Colombia, Ghana, India, Italy, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Spain, and Vietnam, reached their highest totals on record in that report.
These record counts reflect students who arrived before the 2025 disruptions and stayed enrolled, not new fall 2025 arrivals. A country shows a record total headcount and a sharp drop in new students at the same time because most enrolled students are continuing, not new.
Later data confirmed a smaller but real overall drop
The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center's final fall 2025 count, released January 15, 2026, found total international enrollment across all levels down by about 5,000 students from fall 2024, according to Inside Higher Ed . Within that total, graduate international enrollment fell nearly 6 percent, about 10,000 students, while international undergraduate enrollment rose 3.2 percent.
Snapshot by country
| Country | 2024-25 total enrollment change | Fall 2025 new-arrival signal |
|---|---|---|
| India | +10% (363,019 students) | F-1 issuances down more than 60% in summer 2025 |
| China | -4% (265,919 students) | Continuing multi-year decline |
| Nepal | +48.7%, record high | Grew in the official 2024-25 count |
| Ghana | +36.5%, record high | New F-1 issuances reported down sharply, similar scale to India |
| Bangladesh | +17.9%, record high | Grew in the official 2024-25 count |
Read the two columns together. The 2024-25 total reflects who was already enrolled and finishing programs started earlier.
The fall 2025 signal reflects who tried to start new programs after the visa disruptions began. A country can look strong in one column and weak in the other during the same reporting cycle.
Check current numbers for your country
Enrollment and visa data for 2026 keep shifting as consular operations and federal policy change. Check the Open Doors data center for the most recent full-year figures by country, and review your visa category's current wait times at your nearest US embassy or consulate before you plan travel.