ST. LOUIS 鈥 The enrollment of international students has significantly dropped at some of the area鈥檚 largest universities this year amid Trump administration efforts to curb immigration and change visa rules.
最新杏吧原创 University saw the steepest decline, with 1,566 fewer international students this fall compared to last fall.
Nearly 1,000 fewer foreign students are enrolled at Washington University in 最新杏吧原创.
The largest decreases are in the ranks of international graduate students, who represent a lifeline for many U.S. universities to boost enrollments 鈥 as well as the schools鈥 bottom lines 鈥 as birth rates decline and the luster of higher education dims for some Americans.
International graduate student enrollment at Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville, a little more than 20 miles from 最新杏吧原创, has declined by 15% this year, which school leaders attributed to stricter visa requirements.
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A spokesperson for Webster University in 最新杏吧原创 County declined to provide enrollment figures until the school completes a census in November, but said international students generally shifted away from the private university鈥檚 three domestic campuses in favor of its seven foreign locales.
鈥淓nrollment at our international campuses appears to have increased by nearly 10%, due to international students choosing locations that are not in the United States,鈥 said Patrick Giblin, Webster鈥檚 Director of Public Relations. That figure could change as the semester rolls on, he added.
Overall international enrollment at the four area universities has dropped by more than 2,700 students compared with last year.
The same scenario appears to be The National Association of International Educators in new international student enrollment this fall due to a pause in student visa interviews during 鈥減eak issuance season鈥 from May 27 to June 18. It also cited visa bans on 19 countries and 鈥渞eports of limited or no appointments鈥 for students at consulates in some countries, including China and India.
The changes follow actions by the second administration of President Donald Trump to limit international students from studying in the United States, and sharply reduce illegal and legal immigration.
Some international students who remain in 最新杏吧原创 said they felt welcome in their school communities, but described an overall sense of fear that they may not be able to continue their studies or work in the United States upon graduation.
Eyl眉l Horozoglu, who grew up in Istanbul, Turkey, said she feels 鈥減owerless.鈥 She came to 最新杏吧原创 in 2019, after studying at an American high school. She now is pursuing her PhD in molecular genetics and genomics at WashU.
鈥淚t鈥檚 hard for us to feel secure in an environment, when at any moment, you can be taken off the street and convicted for practicing your right to protest peacefully or criticize government policies,鈥 Horozoglu said.
The Trump Administration鈥檚 immigration crackdown also has affected the number of new foreign students. The processing of visa applications has slowed. Thousands of students lived in the 19 countries Trump imposed a travel ban on in June, The .
The administration escalated restrictions after the fall enrollment cycle ended. On Aug. 28, for example, the Department of Homeland Security announced a new rule limiting F-1 visa students鈥 stays in the this country to four years. Students previously were allowed to remain in the United States as long as they stayed in school.
The four-year limit may not provide enough time for some international students to complete their degrees. The National Center for Education Statistics in 2017 the median number of months it took to complete a bachelor鈥檚 was 52, or 4.3 years.
In September, federal officials announced a $100,000 fee on H1-B visas for skilled workers, which would fall on employers.
A Chinese student at WashU, who spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear of government retaliation, said he feared he would not find a job in the United States. He doubted an employer would be willing to front $100,000 if they could hire an American citizen.
鈥淢entally, I鈥檓 kind of prepared for it,鈥 the student said. 鈥淏ut this is probably much worse than what I could have expected.鈥
Horozoglu also is concerned about what her job prospects will look like.
鈥淓ven before the $100K fee got introduced, it was extremely difficult to obtain H1-B visas in this country, and it always felt like the government wanted to push international students out as soon as their education here started,鈥 Horozoglu said.
Washington University first year medical school students pose for photos after their white coat ceremony on Friday, Oct. 3, 2025, on the Washington University Medical Campus in the Central West End.
International students represent significant portions of the student bodies at the 最新杏吧原创鈥檚 largest universities.
In fall 2024, 27% of WashU鈥檚 overall 16,433 students came from outside the United States, according to a university . International students made up nearly half 鈥 about 46% 鈥 of the university鈥檚 graduate students.
Of the 15,334 students at SLU in fall 2024, 22% were international.
SLU still saw more international students this fall than it did in previous years.
The private Jesuit university experienced a massive uptick in foreign students between 2022 and 2024, driven largely by its , said Jean Marie Cox, interim vice president for enrollment management.
鈥淩eally, what we鈥檙e seeing is a reaction to the two-year surge that was primarily (caused by) those grad programs, post-pandemic demand and the strong relationships we built, primarily in India,鈥 Cox said.
Still, she said, some of the school鈥檚 students did struggle with visa appointments and processing delays.
Small private colleges are most affected by the changes to U.S. visa rules because they depend more heavily on international students for full tuition dollars and campus diversity.
Gabrielle Young, spokesperson for private Maryville University, declined to provide enrollment figures, saying the university wanted 鈥渢o avoid any specific scrutiny鈥 from those who disapproved of U.S. universities admitting students from abroad.
Pranistha Upadhyaya, left, a freshman from Nepal studying biological science, joins Samantha Reeves, a graphic design freshman, and Tessa Holt, an illustration freshman, as they have lunch together at Webster University on Jan. 24, 2025.
International students made up more than half of the students enrolled at Webster鈥檚 main campus in Webster Groves last fall.
Nicholas Pathak, a computer science major, is one of the hundreds of Nepali students studying there.
Pathak, a junior, said he 鈥渢ries to ignore鈥 certain things, including how it has become increasingly hard for computer science degree holders to get jobs after college because of the . He also said he does not pay much attention to the news, so the changes in federal policies and proposals have not bothered him much.
Pathak wants to work in the United States for a couple of years as a software engineer and boost his resume. Eventually, though, he wants to go back to Nepal, saying he misses his native food, the laid-back culture, his parents and sister.
Nonetheless, Pathak retains a strong belief in the American dream, that if someone works hard, they will succeed, regardless of their background.
A 鈥渉igh paying job is waiting鈥 for him after graduation, he said. He said he looked forward to paying his parents back for tuition.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 all going to be worth it,鈥 he said.
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