Active Indian students in US fall 13.5% amid visa tightening
World
The number of active Indian students in the US dropped by 13.5% between October 2025 and October 2026, according to official data.
This decline is much sharper than the overall 7.07% drop for all international students, and it's mostly due to tougher visa rules since the start of Trump's second term.
Indian master's students were hit hardest, seeing a big 20.1% decrease.
US new international enrollments down 17%
Recent policy changes, like adding social media checks for student visas, have made the process even more complicated.
While bachelor's student numbers dipped by about 6.5%, doctoral student records actually jumped 45.9%.
Overall, new international enrollments fell by 17% in 2025-26, with most US colleges blaming visa issues for the drop.