NEW DELHI: The number of student applications from India to the United States for undergraduate studies dropped by 15% during the 2025-2026 academic year compared to the previous year, according to a report by non-profit Common App. Applications from Asia declined by 11%.
The End-of-Season report, released on August 20, surveyed 1,146 schools. Common App is a membership organisation representing more than 1,100 diverse institutions of higher education in the US and 18 other countries.
Common App said the decline in international applications has intensified, falling from last season, making the biggest decline in a decade. “The number of applicants from Asia, the largest region in terms of international applicant volume, fell 11% compared to this point in 2024-25 after several years of sustained growth. This decline was driven by a 15% drop in applicants from India, which has historically had the second-most international applicants on the platform of any country behind China.”
Indian students make up the largest group of international students heading to the US for studies, with 3,63,019 studying there during the 2024-2025 academic year, according to the Institute of International Education (IIE). India and China together accounted for 53% of all foreign students that year.
Earlier this month, data from think tank Centre for Immigration Studies showed that US immigration authorities issued only 22,149 student visas to Indians in 2025, compared to 58,694 in 2024, a decline of over 60%.
The report also recorded a 17% decline in applications from Africa, with numbers from Ghana falling 34%, Ethiopia 29% and Nigeria 21%. Of the ten countries that generally account for the highest number of international applications to the US, only Kenya recorded growth, with applications rising 29%.
The tightening of US immigration policy, changes to visa rules and a four-year cap on students’ stay after completion of their academic courses are among the measures introduced this year by the administration.
The US is also considering a $1,00,000 fee for foreign students seeking to use the Optional Practical Training Programme to work in the country after graduation. European countries, including France and Germany, are meanwhile going all out to woo international students who may be reluctant to study in the US.
According to experts, movement in the rupee-dollar exchange rate has increased the overall cost of overseas education. However, the growing availability of international branch campuses in India may lead to students completing undergraduate studies in India and consider the US for postgraduate education at a later stage, when economic environment may be clearer.