The number of international students applying to US colleges for the upcoming fall term has fallen by about 10%, marking the biggest decline in at least a decade as the Trump administration steps up efforts to restrict overseas students from entering the country, according to data from Common App.
Nearly 16,000 fewer international students applied to US colleges this year compared with 2025, the college application platform said in a report released Thursday, Bloomberg reported.
The decline comes after the Trump administration introduced several changes to student visa rules and intensified efforts to limit the number of foreign students entering the US.
The latest figures provide a strong indication that American universities could face further declines in overall enrolment this fall. According to Common App, applications from Asia and Africa fell by double digits, while applications from Europe declined 4%, breaking a trend of steady increases in recent years.
In contrast, the number of US applicants increased 4%, with applicants from the South and Southwest rising 9%.
Biggest decline since digital data collection began
Rodney Hughes, senior data scientist at Common App, said the decline in international applications was the largest recorded since the organisation began collecting digital application data in 2013.
“If it’s harder to get a visa, that might make it less likely that students apply,” Hughes said, according to Bloomberg.
During the 2024-25 application cycle, which ended shortly after the Trump administration began its crackdown on student visa holders, the number of international applicants had declined by only 1% from the previous year.
The latest decline could intensify following recent changes to long-standing policies governing international students, including rules affecting their ability to change majors, transfer between universities and remain in the US after graduation.
The changes come as American universities are already facing financial pressure from a shrinking population of university-age students and growing questions about the value of higher education, according to a Bloomberg report.
Top US universities see smaller decline
The impact of the decline has not been uniform across American universities.
Common App data showed that institutions with the strongest global reputations have so far experienced a smaller drop in international applications. Applications to the most selective universities, which accept fewer than a quarter of applicants, declined by about 1%.
By comparison, institutions that accept more than half of their applicants recorded a decline of roughly 20%.
The figures suggest that highly selective universities may have a greater cushion against the decline in international demand than institutions with lower global profiles.
SAT applications rise
The Common App report also highlighted a resurgence in the use of standardised tests.
For the first time since 2019, more applicants reported SAT or ACT scores than omitted them. The number of applicants submitting test scores rose 11% from the previous year, while the number choosing not to report scores fell 5%.
“Test scores certainly seem to be in vogue,” Hughes said.
The change follows decisions by several prominent universities, including Yale, Columbia and Princeton, to restore testing requirements after nearly five years of test-optional admissions policies.
The return to standardised testing has reignited a debate over the role of SAT and ACT scores in college admissions. At the University of California, admissions officers have been prohibited from considering such scores since 2019.
Trump administration’s policy shift
The decline in international applications and the renewed emphasis on standardised testing align with key higher-education priorities of the Trump administration.
The administration has sought to tighten rules affecting international students and has also criticised test-optional admissions policies, arguing that such policies can serve as proxies for affirmative action.
However, colleges that do not require standardised tests continue to significantly outnumber those that do. According to Common App, only 5% of colleges currently require applicants to submit SAT or ACT scores, up from 4% last year but sharply below the 55% recorded in 2019.
