American universities enrolled fewer international students this fall, the first full academic year under President Trump's second term.

• But some Florida schools are bucking that trend.

Why it matters: The Trump administration upended the spring semester for international students nationwide, raising questions about 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.

By the numbers: A survey of 825 U.S. higher education institutions showed a 17% drop in international students matriculating in the fall for the first time, according to a snapshot by the Institute of International Education.

• Overall enrollment among international students fell 1%: undergraduate enrollment actually increased 2%, but graduate enrollment fell 11%.

Yes, but: Colleges continue to recruit international students.

• The vast majority of surveyed schools said they value international students' perspectives on campus as well as their financial contributions.

By the numbers: Florida enrolled 46,720 international students on its campuses last academic year, spending an estimated $1.5 billion, per a separate dataset by IIE.

• The majority of them came from India, followed by China, Brazil, Colombia and Vietnam.
• The leading institutions hosting them were the University of South Florida, the University of Florida, Florida International University, the University of Central Florida and Florida State University.

Zoom in: USF enrolled 4,756 international students this fall, down from 5,401 in Fall 2024, according to online university databases.

• UCF enrolled a total of 3,402 international students this fall, an increase from the 3,201 enrolled in Fall 2024, a spokesperson tells Axios.
• FSU enrolled 2,389 international students this fall, up from 2,223 in Fall 2024, according to a spokesperson.

Keep reading

Here's what's on tap this weekend:

📚 The Miami Book Fair celebrates its closing weekend with a downtown street fair. There's a packed schedule of author panels, live entertainment and food from Smorgasburg Miami.

• The street fair runs from 10am-7pm Friday and Saturday, and until 6pm on Sunday.
• Single-day tickets are $12 for adults.
• Located at Miami Dade College Wolfson Campus downtown.

Featured authors include:

🤫 An Evening With Mercedes Ron on "Tell Me Softly" Friday at 6pm. ($18, includes paperback copy of book.)

• The event will feature appearances from the stars of the Amazon Prime film adaptation of the book, "Dímelo bajito." (Details)

✍️ Art Spiegelman, author of "Maus," revisits the 1986 graphic novel in "MetaMaus: A Look Inside a Modern Classic, Maus."

• He discusses the book Saturday at 11am at a free (but ticketed) event. (Details)

⚾️ Jane Leavy ("Make Me Commissioner: I Know What's Wrong with Baseball and How to Fix It") will be interviewed by the Miami Herald's Linda Robertson on Saturday at 11am. Free event. (Details)

👉 Full Miami Book Fair schedule here

Non-Book Fair events

🎄 It's Christmas pop-up bar season! Miracle, which operates holiday pop-ups across the world, is spreading merriment across South Florida this year.

• Expect holiday cocktails, "kitschy holiday décor... and the nostalgic energy of the best office party you've ever been to," the company says.

🦩 Miracle at The Dead Flamingo is open through Dec. 27 at the Little Havana bar.

• Open daily 5pm-3am.

🍹 Miracle at La Cañita is open through Dec. 31 at Michelle Bernstein's Kendall restaurant.

• Open Wednesday to Friday from 5pm-10pm; Saturday 5pm-1am; Sunday 11am-1am and Monday 11am-9pm.

🎅 Miracle at Carousel Club at Gulfstream Park opens today through Dec. 28 in Hallandale Beach.

• Open Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

🎤 Mariah Carey's Holiday Bar is open through Dec. 28 — but you have to pay a cover to get in.

• General admission starts at $19 per person (including fees), which gets you a 90-minute experience with first-come, first-served seating, a welcome cocktail and access to for-purchase food options.
• Brunch tables start at $54.50 per 2 guests.

More events

Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-Fla.) — who was indicted on charges of stealing disaster relief funds — says she is innocent of the accusations in the "unjust, baseless, sham indictment." (Axios)

🥁 The Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival added Cage the Elephant, LCD Soundsystem, Freddie Gibbs, Japanese Breakfast and more to the March lineup. (Tickets)

🗳️ Parkland school shooting survivor Cameron Kasky is running for Congress in New York. (The Hill)

🪑 Miami state Rep. Vicki Lopez was appointed to fill the District 5 seat on the Miami-Dade County Commission. (Florida Politics)

About 65% of Miami residents are satisfied living in the city, according to a Gensler survey of residents across 27 major U.S cities.

Why it matters: "Satisfaction" is broad, but works as a general vibe check on how people are feeling about job opportunities, housing costs, safety and other key urban issues.

How it works: Gensler surveyed about 13,500 residents across these 27 cities between July and November 2024.

• The findings are part of a broader report from the design and architecture firm's research wing, City Pulse 2025: The Magnetic City, an annual dive into how urban residents feel about a host of issues.

Between the lines: Some of the cities with relatively low satisfaction rates also have relatively high rates of young adults who say they're planning to move out, Gensler found.

• Miami has a relatively high share (about 52%) of childless young adults thinking of leaving, per Gensler.

Share this story

🏙️ Check out what's happening around Miami.

• Miami Book Fair Street Fair today through Sun: Miami Book Fair's Street Fair takes over downtown with hundreds of book vendors, author talks, live music on the Off The Shelf stage, great food from Smorgasburg Miami, and a full Children's Alley packed with activities.
• Tribeca Festival at Art Basel Miami Beach Dec 5-6: This December, Tribeca returns to Miami for it's fourth edition of Tribeca Festival. Hosting two nights of live performances featuring emerging Latin artists shaping contemporary culture.

Interested in featuring an event? Email [email protected].

The average "classic holiday feast for 10" will run $55.18 this Thanksgiving, per the American Farm Bureau Federation's new annual survey.

• That's about $5.52 per person, and down about 5% from last year — the third straight year of declines.

Yes, but: "Three years of declines don't fully erase dramatic increases that led to a record-high cost of $64.05 in 2022," AFBF says.

How it works: The group's estimate is based on a basket of traditional Thanksgiving favorites, including (of course) turkey, sweet potatoes, stuffing and more.

• Prices were gathered by volunteer shoppers nationwide both in person and using grocery store apps and websites.

Zoom in: Cheaper turkey is driving much of the overall decline.

Keep reading