- Several Oregon State engineering majors were up at least 19%; civil engineering rose 36%.
- A May 2026 NAFSA survey covered 149 institutions, and 62% reported lower international intake.
- OSU directs students to its Fall Student Experience Survey and Beaverly for feedback.
Oregon State University reported undergraduate enrollment tracking 7% above the previous fall across its affiliated locations, including Ecampus, as international graduate enrollment fell 21%. The figures describe the university’s fall 2026 population, not a nationwide shift.
The university also said international undergraduates were up 6% from the previous fall. That is a separate measure from overall undergraduate enrollment.
Oregon State made its fall enrollment figures public on November 5, 2026. The university’s total fall 2026 enrollment was 37,460 students, “slightly lower” than the record set in fall 2025. Graduate applicants face a different picture.
Misty Edgecomb, the university’s media relations director, connected the graduate decline to visa-processing delays and denials. The campus figures do not break down how much each factor contributed.
Oregon State’s enrollment figures track different populations
OSU reported a 21% decline in international graduate student enrollment.
| Measure | Fall 2026 figure | Comparison stated by OSU |
|---|---|---|
| Undergraduate enrollment across affiliated locations, including Ecampus | Tracking 7% higher | Previous fall |
| International undergraduate enrollment | 6% higher | Previous fall |
| International graduate enrollment | 21% lower | Comparison period not specified |
Selected engineering programs also recorded gains. Several majors in the College of Engineering were up at least 19%, while civil engineering rose 36%.
Those figures do not establish an increase in newly arriving international students. Nor do they mean every undergraduate group grew at the same rate.
OSU linked the graduate decline to visa processing
Edgecomb’s explanation points to delays and denials in student visa processing. The university has not provided a numerical breakdown connecting those issues to the decline.
National visa revocations offer context, but not a campus-specific cause. The State Department has reported approximately 8,000 student visa revocations since the start of President Donald Trump’s second term, within a broader total of more than 100,000 revoked visas.
That national count does not show how many Oregon State students or applicants were affected. It also does not establish how much visa cancellations contributed to the university’s graduate enrollment decline.
Universities have also cited federal research-funding cuts as a factor in lower graduate and PhD admissions. At Oregon State, the stated explanation for the international graduate decline centered on processing delays and denials.
National studies count new arrivals, not OSU’s enrolled students
A NAFSA survey released in May 2026 covered 149 institutions. Sixty-two percent reported lower international intake, with average new undergraduate enrollment down 20% and new graduate enrollment down 24%.
Those survey figures measure new enrollment, unlike OSU’s reported enrollment populations. They should not be read as a direct comparison with the campus’s 7% undergraduate increase or 21% international graduate decline.
The American Council on Education reported that new international student enrollment fell 17% in fall 2025. The organization attributed substantial influence to visa and immigration restrictions. Broader policy pressures also include limits on practical training.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison reported a separate decline in new international enrollment: undergraduate numbers dropped 25%, and new graduate enrollment fell more than 27% from the previous year. The Wisconsin figures are for new students, not the same measure as Oregon State’s total enrollment tracking.
Students can check the campus summary and feedback channels
Oregon State directs readers to its Fall 2026 Enrollment Summary for more enrollment information. Students can also provide feedback through the Fall Student Experience Survey and Beaverly.
International students with visa questions can contact their school’s international student office or a designated school official. Those campus contacts can address individual cases; the university’s published enrollment figures do not identify which visa issues affected particular students.
