The number of active student records from India in the United States fell 13.5% in a year, from 366,258 in October 2025 to 316,893 in October 2026, according to Student and Exchange Visitor Information System data.
That is 49,365 fewer records. The steepest contraction was in master’s enrollment, which dropped from 292,929 to 234,034, or about 20%.
India remained the largest source of international students in the country, but its share of active records also slipped. The doctoral count moved in the opposite direction.
SEVIS counts active records in a single month, including people participating in Optional Practical Training (OPT). It is a snapshot, not an annual tally of new university enrollments.
Graduate enrollment shows the sharpest split
The doctoral count climbed by more than 13,000 as bachelor’s and master’s numbers declined. The figures compare October 2025 with October 2026.
| Study level | October 2025 | October 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Master’s | 292,929 | 234,034 |
| Doctoral | 28,609 | 41,729 |
| Bachelor’s | 38,522 | 36,011 |
Male students accounted for 195,341 active records and female students 121,552. The figures show that losses did not extend across every academic level.
The decline outpaced the overall international-student drop
Active records for students from all countries fell from 1,283,240 to 1,192,572, a decline of about 7.1%. The decrease for the Indian cohort was steeper.
China, the second-largest source country, went from 245,038 to 220,157, down about 10.2%. Nepal’s count also fell, from 35,273 to 33,992. India's share of all active records decreased from about 28.5% to about 26.6%.
A separate annual measure had shown a different recent pattern. The Institute of International Education’s Open Doors data counted 363,019 students from India in 2024–25, up 9.5% from the prior year. That total included people in OPT, even as academic enrollment categories weakened.
| Category | 2023–24 | 2024–25 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Undergraduate | 36,053 | 40,135 | +11.3% |
| Graduate | 196,567 | 177,892 | -9.5% |
| OPT | 97,556 | 143,740 | +47.3% |
| Non-degree | 1,426 | 1,252 | -12.2% |
| Total | 331,602 | 363,019 | +9.5% |
| Undergraduate, graduate and non-degree combined | 234,046 | 219,279 | -6.3% |
The annual series put India at 30.8% of international students in 2024–25. Its count had more than doubled over a decade, from 132,888 in 2014–15. OPT tracks practical training after or alongside academic study, not new campus enrollment.
The Institute of International Education’s Fall 2025 Snapshot found new international enrollments across reporting US institutions fell 17% from the previous fall. Common App also recorded a 15% decline in Indian applicants to its member institutions during the 2025–26 application season.
Visa figures and campus surveys point to a weaker pipeline
The State Department resumed monthly visa statistics after an 11-month hiatus. F-1 issuance fell 34% from 2024 to 2025; issuance to applicants from India was down 60% from 2024 and 76% from 2023 levels.
In June 2025, fewer than half as many F-1 visas were issued as in June 2024. July issuance fell 40%. A visa interview freeze that lasted for nearly all of June contributed to delays through the summer.
The Institute of International Education’s 2026 Spring Snapshot found 59% of responding institutions had fewer international applications for 2026/27. That followed a 17% decrease in new international enrollments in 2025/26. Among 585 respondents, 63% expected international student numbers to fall the following year, and almost one in four anticipated a substantial decline.
Among institutions expecting a drop, 92% cited visa denials and delays, 80% cited US travel restrictions, and 77% said students were choosing other destinations. Postgraduate losses were especially pronounced: 43% reported a substantial decrease, compared with 31% at undergraduate level. More than 60% saw fewer applications from India; the survey also cited a 62% fall in study visa issuance to Indian applicants last year.
Work-visa uncertainty weighs on the education-to-career calculation
Indiaspora, a nonprofit network of Indian-origin leaders, said in an October 30 statement that “Fewer Indian students are choosing to study in the United States,” linking the trend to “anti-Indian rhetoric” during the election season.
Chris Glass, a Boston College professor, said the scale of the decline surprised him, but not its direction. He pointed to the New Right, or “post-liberal,” wing of the MAGA movement, which he said increasingly views OPT and H-1B as threats to American workers rather than tools for attracting talent. He said that leaves India, a large graduate-driven source country, especially exposed.
“The scale is shocking; the direction is not,” Glass said.
Fanta Aw, CEO of NAFSA: Association of International Educators, said Indian families are often price-sensitive and focused on work options after graduation. She cautioned that falling visa issuance should not be read as an equal reduction in enrollment. She cited the 2025 processing pause, an expanded visa ban, long appointment waits and processing delays as formidable barriers.
Eddie West, assistant vice president for international affairs at California State University (CSU), Fresno, said institutions that had avoided declines were likely concentrated at the top of the rankings. Sanjay Laul, founder of recruitment platform MSM Unify, said families were weighing uncertainty against major costs.
“Students are not rejecting the US; they are pricing in its volatility, and increasingly, the maths favours elsewhere,” Laul said.
He said families may commit ₹50–60 lakh, up to US$70,000, often through loans, and described a coin-flip visa outcome as a risk they could not rationalize. Uncertainty around OPT and H-1B, he said, cuts into an education-to-career calculation. A rumored $100,000 OPT fee remains under White House review.
A cross-sector coalition is suing over a rule ending duration of status that was scheduled to take effect on September 15, 2026. Aw urged Congress to restore D/S. NAFSA estimates the anticipated contraction will cost the US economy $3.4 billion. Aw also warned of lost economic activity, tens of thousands of jobs and damage to US competitiveness and innovation; she urged the administration to prioritize student visa interviews and preserve OPT.
Revocation notices added another source of uncertainty
State Department data showed around 8,000 student visas had been revoked through December 2025. Last April, some students received emails from designated school officials saying their F-1 status had been revoked and they would need to leave within weeks.
In several cases, revocations were tied to criminal charges dating back months or longer, including matters that had been dismissed or resolved. Arvind Manduva of Hyderabad-based i20 Fever said increased scrutiny and limited appointment slots made applicants wary.
“This was the first time in decades that we saw such a sharp drop,” Manduva said.
