Welcome to Dale's Digest, a curated newsletter from Foreign Credentials Service of America (FCSA). Below are a collection of articles from reliable sources regarding news and trends in international enrollment.
Source: The Chronicle of Higher Education (subscription required)
Updates from The PIE
It’s been another busy week for international education, with major developments across investment, institutional strategy and student demand.
Investor activity made headlines with the sale of Study Group. This week also saw King’s College London announce its merger with Cranfield University, marking the second major institutional merger in the UK sector within the past year.
Elsewhere, the latest data painted a mixed picture for international recruitment markets. In the UK, study visa applications dropped sharply, with April figures falling significantly compared to last year and marking the lowest level seen in five years.
Meanwhile, New Zealand’s recovery continues to gather momentum. International enrolments climbed 11% year-on-year to reach 92,580 students in 2025.
This week, The PIE also delved into figures revealing New Zealand's top-performing agents across nine key source markets, with the data showing higher visa approval rates for agent-linked applications than in previous years.
Looking at the bigger picture globally, UNESCO reported that higher education enrolment worldwide has now reached 269 million students, while international student mobility has more than tripled since 2000.
However, the sector continues to grapple with persistent inequalities in access and funding, and new research from IDP suggests student sentiment is becoming increasingly shaped by visa uncertainty, affordability concerns and confusion around application processes.
Last week, NAFSA, Studyportals, and the Oxford Test of English released the latest edition of the Global Enrolment Benchmark Survey. In the survey, which canvassed more than 254 institutions in 36 countries, half of the responding universities reported lower new international student enrollments in the January–March 2026 intake period, compared to the same period in 2025. Institutions that saw gains credited new programs, flexible start dates, and other institutional initiatives.
Other key findings:
The ‘‘Big Four” destinations—Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States—experienced the sharpest enrollment drops.
In the Asia-Pacific region, 82 percent of institutions (excluding those in Australia) reported growth, while 47 percent of European institutions reported increases.
When asked which factors have had a significant negative impact on international enrollment, 73 percent of universities said restrictive government policies and visa issues are a significant challenge, and 49 percent cited affordability and cost of living.
Comments from NAFSA Executive Director and CEO Fanta Aw are included in the report: “Despite an increasingly uncertain policy environment, the survey shows that institutions willing to innovate and adapt can still create meaningful pathways for student success and access…. Institutions can and must exercise greater agency to counter serious external forces.”
Visas
Visa Concerns Are Increasingly Top of Mind for Globally Mobile Students, New Research Shows
Prospective students are considering visa-related concerns earlier in their processes of deciding where they want to study, new research from IDP finds. According to an ICEF Monitor article on the Emerging Futures report some students say they'll opt out of international study opportunities altogether if the process of securing a visa is too expensive, confusing, or difficult. The report is based on a survey of more than 5,800 prospective, current, and former students from 118 countries and regions.
The data also reveals that 78 percent of students "shop globally," seriously considering more than one destination country, before making their decision. This represents an 8 percent increase from the number in the October 2024 edition of the report.
As IDP notes in the report, "While employability, post-study work opportunities, and affordability remain core drivers, [the findings] shows students are now screening options more proactively, often ruling out destinations sooner due to visa costs, policy uncertainty, or perceived barriers to entry. Visa settings are no longer a late-stage consideration but a primary filter in destination choice."
