This story was reported and written by VPM News.
The number of international students enrolling in advanced-level courses at Virginia's four-year public colleges and universities declined this past fall. Higher ed institutions across the country have seen similar drops, as the federal government paused visa interviews for international students, among other policies targeting immigrants.
Enrollment in graduate and Ph.D.-level courses fell by 13% between fall 2024 and fall 2025 — 10% in law, medicine, dentistry and some other programs, according to data from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia.
Rachel Banks, senior director for public policy at the National Association of International Educators, said recent federal policies revoking student visas, terminating international student status records and cracking down on pro-Palestinian protests are all impacting international enrollment.
"If you're a parent thinking about, 'I'm going to send my child for this education in the United States, and I'm seeing this video footage of students being arrested,' that can be very troubling, and perhaps make me want to reconsider," Banks said.
Additionally, Republican President Donald Trump's administration paused all international student interviews for weeks at the end of May — the peak time for new students applying at consulates to get visas in order to enroll in the fall.
"At that moment, to sort of put things on pause, was really rather troubling and injected so much uncertainty," Banks said.
The visa pause may have put some off from applying, she said, while others simply may not have gotten an interview in time to arrive at the end of August. That includes students from countries like India and China, which have long visa backlogs.
A national survey of over 800 colleges and universities showed the majority of institutions experienced a decline in new enrollees from India — which is likely driving overall national declines.
The Institute of International Education's survey showed a 17% drop in new international student enrollment, which Banks said was the biggest decline since the pandemic.
"What we saw in the nation is an overall decline because of those external factors, and Virginia Tech was no different," said Mark Owczarski, spokesperson for Virginia Tech. Owczarski told VPM News some of the same issues — delays in processing visas, pauses in visa appointment availability, and new mandatory screenings — contributed to Tech's decline in graduate-level students from outside the US.
He said the university is also seeing declining interest in technology-related fields from both domestic and international students, due in part to the impact AI has had on entry-level jobs.
Fall 2025 saw a decline of more than 30% in new international students enrolled in advanced degree coursework at Virginia Tech, compared to fall 2024; overall international postgraduate enrollment fell about 12% in that time period. Owczarski described the decrease as "modest," and added the university was able to manage the decline by turning its attention toward domestic recruits.
"We want to attract students from Virginia, the nation and abroad," Owczarski said. "We believe that creates the best learning environment and creates the best opportunities by bringing ideas from different parts of the world, different cultures. All of that enhances the Virginia Tech experience."
George Mason University President Gregory Washington told state lawmakers on Jan. 12 that changes in federal policy are creating real challenges for universities enrolling international students.
In fall 2024, there were 2,678 international graduate students enrolled at GMU, according to data from SCHEV. Last fall, that figure was down to 1,948, a drop of over 700 students (27%).
"Those 700 students are lost primarily because they can't get visas. They want to come, they've been accepted, they just can't get visas into the country," Washington said.
Washington added the drop accounted for more than $30 million in lost revenue for the university; average tuition and fees is about $45,000 annually for this group of students.
SCHEV Director Scott Fleming told the General Assembly in December that the decline is something the commonwealth will have to tackle.
"International students tend to be full freight. They pay full tuition," Fleming said. "They bring with them considerable additional economic resources when they enter the commonwealth to study. So, the decline in international student enrollment will absolutely have an impact on some of our public four-year institutions."
Meanwhile, the number of undergraduate international students enrolling at four-year public colleges in Virginia is up about 4% in fall 2025 compared to fall 2024.
SCHEV's policy analytics director, Tod Massa, said one year's worth of data isn't enough to definitively attribute the drop in enrollment to Trump's policy changes.
Some Virginia schools bucked the trend: Virginia Commonwealth University and Longwood University enrolled more postgraduate international students in fall 2025 than in fall 2024. Enrollment at Virginia State University remained flat overall.
Enrollment at several other schools, including the University of Virginia and James Madison University, only dropped slightly.
Still, Banks, with the National Association of International Educators, worries about changes to come that could further chip away at the number of international students enrolling in Virginia schools.
Anticipated federal rule changes intended to reform or cut the Optional Practical Training program for F1 visa holders — which permits holders up to 12 months of degree-related work, and an additional 24 months for select STEM fields — would discourage them from working in their field of study while in school and after graduation.
Banks said if federal officials were to eliminate that program, "We would definitely be shooting ourselves in the foot."
That's because international students aren't just looking at what in-classroom learning opportunities are available — but what professional experiences they can have in their field of study.
National experts estimate that the 17% drop in new international student enrollment has already led to a big loss in revenue — over $23 million in Virginia alone.
"We're not the only ones who want to enroll international students," Banks said. "There's a lot of other countries in the world that have seen the value and the important contributions of international students, and we're all in this competition."
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