The Common App, which is used by students to apply to over 1,000 colleges and universities in the U.S., says the overall number of students applying to member colleges grew 2% in the 2025-2026 cycle, while the number of international applicants tumbled 10%.
In its recently released report, First-Year Application Trends 2025-2026 cycle, the Common App said that while the growth in the total number of individual applicants is slowing, these students are casting a wider net. The volume of applications increased by 6% between the 2024-25 cycle and the 2025-26 cycle. On average, each applicant applied to 7.06 schools in 2025-2026 compared to 6.79 in the previous cycle.
One notable finding is the significant drop in first-time international student applications in the 2025-2026 cycle, which covered the calendar period between Aug. 1, 2025, to July 28, 2026. There was a pronounced drop in applicants from Asia (-11%) and Africa (-17%), with notable declines in applicants from India (-15%) and Ghana (-34%). Applicants from the Americas, meanwhile, increased by 5% compared to 2024-25.
This trend is significant because international students often generate more net tuition revenue for U.S. colleges and universities than domestic students, so a decline in international students can hurt a college's finances disproportionately. The extra tuition revenue from full-pay international students helps support financial aid for domestic students, academic programs, and other campus operations.
The finding comes at the same time the Trump administration has rolled out new policies impacting international students. For example, a rule finalized last month by the Department of Homeland Security, caps international student visas to four years, regardless of the length of their academic program.
Previously, foreign students granted visas were allowed to stay for the duration of their studies, but the new rule, set to go into effect on Sept. 15, requires them to apply for extensions with no guarantee that it will be approved. Foreign students would also be prohibited from changing their majors or transferring to another college without federal approval.
A coalition of higher-education groups sued DHS last week seeking to block the rule, but a federal judge has not yet ruled on their request for a preliminary injunction.
