Indiana University saw 933 fewer international students enroll across all campuses this fall amid otherwise rising enrollment.
According to recently released fall census data, 5,645 international students enrolled this fall in the IU system — which includes nine campuses and IU Online. That’s down from 6,578 international students in fall 2024, a 14% drop.
At IU Bloomington, the number of international students enrolled fell from 4,984 last fall to 4,428 at the start of this school year.
A July analysis by NASFA, the Association of International Educators, found that there could be a 30-40% drop in new international student enrollment at higher education institutions across the U.S. this fall due to visa bans and “disruptions in visa interviews and processing.”
In April, several IU students had their visas cancelled, though President Donald Trump’s administration announced later it would restore many of the thousands of visas terminated nationwide. Trump’s administration has still revoked more than 6,000 student visas .
Overall, enrollment systemwide and at IU Bloomington is up from last fall, coming in at 89,247 and 48,626, respectively. However, the number of students is still down compared to other headcounts from the past nine years, with the exception of fall 2024.
From 2016 to 2022, overall enrollment at IU dropped from around 95,000 to 90,000, including during the COVID-19 pandemic. IU again recorded a drop to 88,490 in 2024.
IU Bloomington’s overall enrollment has steadily increased since 2020, when the student population dipped slightly to around 43,000.
In an email to IU faculty and staff, university President Pamela Whitten highlighted that IU Online, IU's online education program that launched in 2012, now has more than 10,000 degree-seeking students.
Additionally, Whitten noted IU Indianapolis’ incoming class increased by around 10% and 70% of all undergraduate students are Indiana residents.
CORRECTION: This article has been updated to clarify the percent drop of international students.
