Data from the United States of America (USA) on immigration revealed a roughly 50 per cent decrease in the number of Indian students arriving at US universities in July and August 2025 compared to the same period the previous year. 

According to Forbes, this considerable decline is projected to have an impact on the 2025-26 academic year and result in problems for American universities that rely heavily on overseas student enrollment.

Furthermore, a survey found that 54 per cent of students would shun US institutions without the Optional Practical Training (OPT) program, putting enrollment and university funding in danger.

India remains the top source country for international students in the United States.

According to data from the US International Trade Administration, student arrivals from India decreased by 44.5 per cent, from 74,825 in August 2024 to 41,540 in August 2025.

Arrivals in July 2025 decreased by 46.4 per cent from July 2024, falling from 24,298 to 13,027.

Experts ascribed this declining trend primarily to immigration policies implemented by the Trump administration. These policies included postponing visa interviews for several weeks and increasing social media monitoring of candidates.

The number of US student visas given to Indian nationals between March and May 2025 plummeted to its lowest level since the COVID-19 pandemic, according to US State Department data. One must keep in mind that March to July is generally a busy time for student visa processing, as candidates prepare for the start of the Fall semester in August or September.

This represents a dramatic 27 per cent decrease compared to the same three-month period in 2024.

According to the annual report of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP), Indian students accounted for 27 per cent of all international students in the United States in 2024, an 11.8 per cent increase over the previous year.

It also revealed that 1,65,524 foreign students took part in the post-completion Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) OPT extension programme, with India (48 per cent) and China (20.4 per cent) accounting for the highest shares.