Mina, who’s from Iran, was accepted to Penn State to earn a PhD in art education and had planned to start this semester. Academic freedom in her country, she said, is restricted, especially in areas like women’s studies and the arts.
“For me, this fully funded PhD was not just an academic step. Maybe it was a rare and life-changing opportunity," said Mina, who only wants to be identified by her first name.
But that opportunity is now on hold. In June, the Trump administration issued travel bans or restrictions on 19 countries, including Iran.
“It hurts that the students who work so hard have to keep their future hostage to politics and definitely borders," she said.
As the Trump administration has issued travel bans and restrictions on certain countries and made getting a student visa more difficult for some, the number of international students studying at American colleges and universities like Penn State is on a downturn.
Even before the recent travel ban, the Trump administration temporarily suspended student visa interviews in late May, causing backlogs. Add to that stricter social media reviews of incoming students.
“It's a very uncertain situation for international students right now in terms of how they want to plan their future education," said Rachel Banks, senior director for public policy and legislative strategy at NAFSA: the Association of International Educators, a nonprofit focused on international education and exchange.
"For next fall, the students who would be in that cohort are making their decisions right now about where to apply," Banks said. "And you have to imagine that international students, like domestic students, are pretty savvy. And they're trying to game out, 'Well with everything that's happening right now in the United States, should I even bother?' Because it seems so mercurial. It seems so uncertain."
An analysis from NAFSA and JB International this summer found that visa bans and disruptions could mean a 15% drop in international enrollment in the United States. That could add up to a $7 billion drop in economic benefits in the United States and $340 million in lost revenue in Pennsylvania.
The final impact could vary from that. And Banks said they'll be able to gauge the full enrollment picture this month.
That trend is playing out at Penn State. According to the university's fall 2025 enrollment numbers, international enrollment overall is down 5.6% from last fall. But, it's down nearly 11% from fall 2022.
At the University of Pittsburgh, the number of international students dropped by more than 5% this fall even as overall enrollment ticked up.
Nationally, the number of international students coming into the United States this August was down 19% compared with August 2024, according to the National Travel and Tourism Office.
Banks said international students make outsized contributions in science, technology and research.
“We really do cut ourselves off," she said. "We cut off that talent pipeline if we're not welcoming to international students.”
Students who come to school in the United States generate billions in revenue for the economy. But educators said it’s not just about the money — that having students from other countries adds to American students’ experiences and helps fuel new ideas at universities.
“The global presence really impacts and supports the mission and vision of the college in terms of the ability for our students to experience what life might be like in Huntingdon, what life might be like in Kenya, what life might be like in Pittsburgh," said Reginald Onyido, the director of international admission at Juniata College in Huntingdon.
They have about 1,400 undergraduates, and about 10% of them are foreign nationals.
Onyido, who is also senior associate dean of admission, said they typically see about one student visa denial every year or two. This fall, there were seven denials or delays — students were either denied visas or couldn’t get a visa interview in time.
“This year, we would have had one of our highest record number of enrolling students if we didn't have a handful of students who were denied a visa," he said.
Onyido said he had one student who had submitted a housing application, had a roommate and had made the first tuition payment, when that student found out their visa was denied.
“To get all the way through a process to then be told, unfortunately, you can't come to the United States," Onyido said. "And not that they can't come to Juniata specifically, right? But that they can't even enroll at a school anywhere in the U.S.”
He said he spoke with the student about possibly coming in the spring, and it was a heartbreaking moment. They agreed it wasn’t clear the policies and process would change in time.
And, experts say, even students who are not from the countries on the travel ban list might hesitate about coming to the United States.
Clay Harmon is the executive director of AIRC: the Association of International Enrollment Management, which sets standards for international recruitment and admissions.
He said they’ve gotten reports — even after the visa pause was lifted — that visa reviews are not back to normal.
“You have to keep in mind that international students usually are making decisions about where they want to study a year and a half or two years out," Harmon said.
He said reports from agencies like Studyportals, which provides online course listings, have detailed data showing significant drops in interest in studying in the United States.
“I think those are the indicators we have right now that we're looking at potentially several years of declines in response to what's happening right now in U.S. policies," he said.
Like others in the field, Harmon said international students bring not only economic benefits, but contribute to universities in other ways, including cutting-edge research.
“Not to mention the soft power benefits and even direct national defense benefits of having international students come to the United States, have positive experiences, and then bring those warm feelings about the U.S. back to their home countries," he said.
Mina, the student from Iran who had planned to come to Penn State this semester, has deferred her start until the spring. But she’s also looking for other options.
