The number of student visas issued by the United States fell sharply in August, with Indian applicants leading the decline following a series of immigration crackdowns by President Donald Trump’s administration.
According to data from the International Trade Administration, the U.S. issued 313,138 student visas in August 2025 — the primary intake month for American universities — representing a 19.1% drop compared to the same period in 2024. India, which last year overtook China as the top source of international students in the U.S., saw a dramatic 44.5% year-over-year decline in visas.
Meanwhile, the number of student visas issued to Chinese nationals also decreased but at a far slower pace. With 86,647 visas issued in August, China once again became the leading source of foreign students, more than doubling the number granted to Indian applicants.
The decline comes as the Trump administration intensifies its focus on immigration restrictions and ideological vetting of foreign students. Secretary of State Marco Rubio suspended student visa processing in June — a peak application period — to implement new rules requiring U.S. embassies to scrutinize applicants’ social media accounts. Thousands of student visas have since been revoked, including for individuals who criticized Israel, on grounds of opposing U.S. foreign policy.
New regulations have also made it harder for Indian applicants to apply for visas outside their home jurisdictions, even when local U.S. consulates face heavy backlogs. This change, combined with a new surcharge on H-1B visas — used predominantly by Indian tech professionals — reflects a broader cooling in U.S.–India relations under Trump.
In contrast, the administration has signaled openness to increasing the number of Chinese students as part of its diplomatic outreach to Beijing — a sharp departure from earlier rhetoric by Rubio, who vowed to “aggressively” revoke Chinese students’ visas over alleged intellectual property concerns.
Muslim-majority countries have also been heavily impacted. The latest figures show an 86% drop in student visas issued to Iranian applicants, along with significant declines for several other nations.
While the figures don’t capture the total number of international students already studying in the U.S. on existing visas, the steep August drop signals a major shift in global student mobility — and a potentially serious blow to American universities, many of which rely on foreign enrolment for revenue and research talent.