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• Student visa arrivals drop: Visitors entering the country on student visas fell year over year for the fourth consecutive month in July, with the most significant declines coming from Asia, the largest market. Arrivals were down 28 percent to about 79,000, according to data from the International Trade Administration. But the picture remains fuzzy because a higher-than-normal number of continuing international students could have chosen to stay in the country this summer. (Bloomberg)
• Harvard Kennedy expects most international students on campus: The school won’t trigger a backup plan that would have allowed its international students to study outside of the United States if they were turned away at the border. About half of the school’s 1,000 students come from outside the country. (The Boston Globe)

International Student Visa Arrivals Drop Almost 30 Percent in July 2025

The number of international students arriving on visas to the United States declined by nearly 30 percent in July 2025 compared to July 2024—including a drop of almost 50 percent in the number of students from India—according to recent data from the International Trade Administration.

The data reinforce international educators' concerns about declining fall enrollment. As NAFSA Executive Director and CEO Fanta Aw emphasized when speaking to Forbes about the visa numbers, these data are the latest evidence that "restrictive policies and visa issuance uncertainties are having an undeniably negative effect on international students' perception of this country as a desirable destination to study, conduct research, or start a business."