Dive Snapshot:
- The number of first-year international applicants declined 10% during the 2025-26 cycle on the Common App compared to the prior cycle, according to a report Thursday from the college application platform.
- Applicants from Asia fell 11%, the report found. That’s a troubling signal, as the continent accounted for well over two-thirds of the international students studying in the U.S. in the 2024-25 academic year, according to data published by the Institute of International Education.
- A 15% decrease in applicants in India drove that decline. India is the top source for international students in the U.S. and accounts for the second-largest number of international applicants on the platform, behind only China.
The impact: Common App is used by a substantial number of U.S. colleges — roughly 1,110 — so declines in international applicants on the platform can portend enrollment troubles for institutions that rely on these students.
The international applicant declines on the platform were widespread. Of the 10 countries that account for the greatest number of international applicants on the Common App platform, nine had declines. Only Kenya saw a year-over-year increase, with applicant numbers growing 30%.
Overall, applicants from Africa decreased by 17% during the 2025-26 cycle. Nigeria — one of the top sources of international students in the U.S. — had a 21% decline in applicants on Common App.
Domestic applicants on the platform increased 4%, helping to boost overall applicants by 2% in the 2025-26 cycle. The report covers the period from Aug. 1, 2025, to July 28, 2026.
The background: The Trump administration has continued to roll out policies that higher education experts say will deter international enrollment.
Most recently, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security released a rule to cap international student visas to four years. A coalition of higher education groups and unions has since sued over the rule, arguing the Trump administration overstepped its authority and that the regulations would be “catastrophic for universities.”
A group of 30 U.S. senators also recently wrote to U.S. State Secretary Marco Rubio to ask about the lack of available visa appointments for prospective international students at some embassies. In a press release, the two senators from Rhode Island, Sheldon Whitehouse and Jack Reed, said the lack of appointments seemed to “mostly impact students from Latin American countries.”
What we’re watching: Enrollment data this fall will reveal whether the Trump administration’s policies have led to heavy declines in international student enrollment.
A survey of over 800 colleges early in the fall 2025 term found that they collectively experienced a 1% drop in their overall international enrollment levels. However, their levels of new international students — those attending their colleges for the first time — dropped 17%.
