International student enrollment drops at some Texas universities
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Some public universities in Texas are seeing declines in international student enrollment amid the Trump administration's attempts to overhaul immigration and the student visa process.
Why it matters: International students contributed about $55 billion to the U.S. economy in 2024, according to a snapshot by the Independent Institute of Education and 10 higher education associations.
- That number may be lower this year, as current and prospective international students reconsider their U.S. plans.
Catch up quick: Earlier this year, the Trump administration upended the spring semester for international students nationwide, raising questions about international student enrollment this autumn.
- Students faced abrupt visa terminations, legal fights over their academic futures and, in some cases, arrest and detention by immigration agents over political speech.
The latest: The number of newly enrolled international students declined by 17% for 825 U.S. higher education institutions this academic year, per IIE.
- The vast majority of schools surveyed by IIE said they value international students' perspectives on campus and their financial contributions.
The intrigue: International students in Texas contributed nearly $2.5 billion to the U.S. economy in 2024, per a separate dataset from IIE.
- The University of North Texas, UT Arlington and UT Dallas were the top institutions in the state for international student enrollment.
- The majority of the students were from India, followed by China, Nepal and Mexico.
Zoom in: International student enrollment at the University of North Texas has declined since fall 2024.
- UNT officials did not specify how much international enrollment declined, but they estimate that the drop will lower the university's net revenue from tuition and fees by $47 million between fiscal years 2025 and 2026.
- UT Arlington's enrollment jumped 19% for international undergraduate students but declined nearly 37% for international graduate students between the fall semesters of 2024 and 2025, a university spokesperson tells Axios.
- Combined, international enrollment at UT Arlington dropped by about 20% from fall 2024 to 2025.
- UT Dallas hasn't yet released its enrollment figures for this year.
What we're watching: International students now have to decide whether they plan to visit family over winter break or stay on campus and avoid potential travel headaches before the spring semester.