Archive · 21 Jan 2026
Indian Student Enrollment in US Drops 75% Amid Visa Crackdown
There has been a big drop in Indian students going to the US to study.
About 75% fewer students enrolled in the first year of Donald Trump's second term.
This is because it's harder to get visas, and many visas have been canceled.
The Vice-Chancellor of BITS Pilani, V. Ramgopal Rao, says this isn't a temporary problem.
He thinks it's a big signal that India needs to make long-term plans.
He also says this could be a chance for India to keep talented students and improve its own universities.
But he warns that India needs to fix some big problems, like not enough good universities and not enough good teachers.
Indian student enrollment in US universities dropped by 75% in the first year of Donald Trump's second administration.
Visa checks, fewer interview slots, and large-scale visa cancellations are the main reasons for the decline.
V. Ramgopal Rao, Vice-Chancellor of BITS Pilani, calls the drop a 'structural signal' requiring a long-term policy response from India.
Around 8,000 student visas were revoked by December 2025, with nearly 100,000 visas canceled across different categories.
The situation presents an opportunity for India to retain talent and strengthen its higher education ecosystem, but significant challenges remain.
- Who
- Indian students, US authorities, V. Ramgopal Rao (Vice-Chancellor of BITS Pilani)
- What
- 75% drop in Indian student enrollment in US universities
- When
- First year of the second administration of Donald Trump
- Where
- United States
- Why
- Visa checks, fewer interview slots, large-scale visa cancellations, and growing hostility towards immigrants and Indians in the US
- Drop in Enrollment
- 75%
- Visa Revocations by December 2025
- 8,000
- Total Visa Cancellations
- 100,000
- H-1B Visa Program
- Facing Tighter Scrutiny
- Impact on Students
- Immediate Difficulties for Studying/Working in the US
- Opportunity for India
- Potential for Brain Gain and Strengthening Higher Education
- Challenges for India
- Limited Seats in Top Institutions, Uneven Quality of Higher Education