US Student Visa Issuance Drops 19%, With Indian Students Hit Hardest Under Trump’s Restrictions

The number of student visas issued by the United States has dropped sharply, reflecting the Trump administration’s increasingly restrictive approach to immigration and academic mobility.

According to new data from the U.S. International Trade Commission, about 313,138 student visas were issued in August 2025, a 19 percent decline compared with the same month last year, traditionally the peak period for university admissions.

The steepest fall occurred among students from India, where visa issuances plunged 44.5 percent. China also saw a smaller but notable decline, while several Muslim-majority countries were hit the hardest: Iranian student visas dropped by 86 percent.

Crackdown meets classroom

The slump comes as the Trump administration continues reshaping U.S. immigration policy around political loyalty tests and ideological scrutiny.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has revoked thousands of existing student visas, citing “violations of U.S. law,” a category that has expanded to include participation in campus protests or online criticism of Israel.

In June, the State Department suspended all visa processing for several weeks to introduce new screening procedures requiring consular officers to review applicants’ social media activity for “indications of hostility toward U.S. institutions or founding principles.”

The policy, coupled with high-profile deportations of international students accused of political activism, has sent a chill through American universities already battling falling international enrollments and rising political oversight.

Mixed messages from Washington

Despite the crackdown, the administration’s messaging has been contradictory.
After vowing early in his term to curb the number of Chinese students entering the country, President Donald Trump recently told reporters he planned to admit up to 600,000 Chinese students, calling their presence “very important.”
That figure would represent double the number currently studying in the U.S.

Universities caught in the crossfire

U.S. universities, still recovering from pandemic-era enrollment losses, warn the latest decline threatens research programs, innovation, and campus diversity.
The American Council on Education said the new visa data should be “a wake-up call,” noting that international students contribute over $40 billion annually to the U.S. economy.

Meanwhile, student groups and rights organizations accuse the administration of turning academia into a political battleground.

“The classroom is no place for ideological screening or collective punishment,” said one higher-education advocate, adding that “Washington’s immigration theatrics are eroding America’s soft power faster than any competitor could.”

For now, the numbers speak for themselves.
Fewer students are coming, more are being questioned, and America’s long-held image as the global center of learning looks increasingly uncertain under the weight of its own politics.