Editor's Note: This story originally appeared on Manifest Law.
International students have long been a cornerstone of the U.S. higher education system, contributing not only tuition revenue but also research capacity, workforce development, and global academic exchange.
For decades, the United States has ranked among the world’s leading destinations for students seeking degrees abroad, supported by a network of universities, research institutions, and vocational programs. To study in the United States, most foreign nationals must obtain a student visa—typically either an F visa for academic study or an M visa for vocational training.
In recent years, however, the landscape for international students studying in the U.S. has become more challenging.
New policy changes—including mandatory in-person interviews and thorough vetting of social media profiles—have introduced new hurdles for prospective students. At the same time, interest in international education is growing in Europe and certain Asian countries, indicating increased competition for U.S. educational institutions.
To better understand these trends, researchers from Manifest Law—a modern immigration law firm focusing on immigration visas—analyzed U.S. Department of Homeland Security F-1 and M-1 visa data to extract insights about where international students in the U.S. are studying, where they’re coming from, and how these trends are changing over time.
Following is a breakdown of the 10 states seeing the largest declines in international student enrollments. For more information on how the analysis was conducted, see the methodology section at the end.
10. Massachusetts
- Percentage change in international students (2025–2026): -5.8%
- Total change in international students (2025–2026): -5,021
- Total international students (March 2026): 81,835
- Total international students (March 2025): 86,856
- Share of all international students in the U.S.: 6.6%
- Most common country of citizenship for international students: India
9. Connecticut
- Percentage change in international students (2025–2026): -5.9%
- Total change in international students (2025–2026): -1,384
- Total international students (March 2026): 21,982
- Total international students (March 2025): 23,366
- Share of all international students in the U.S.: 1.8%
- Most common country of citizenship for international students: India
8. Oregon
- Percentage change in international students (2025–2026): -6.4%
- Total change in international students (2025–2026): -479
- Total international students (March 2026): 7,014
- Total international students (March 2025): 7,493
- Share of all international students in the U.S.: 0.6%
- Most common country of citizenship for international students: India
7. Iowa
- Percentage change in international students (2025–2026): -6.4%
- Total change in international students (2025–2026): -633
- Total international students (March 2026): 9,300
- Total international students (March 2025): 9,933
- Share of all international students in the U.S.: 0.8%
- Most common country of citizenship for international students: India
6. Delaware
- Percentage change in international students (2025–2026): -6.8%
- Total change in international students (2025–2026): -360
- Total international students (March 2026): 4,935
- Total international students (March 2025): 5,295
- Share of all international students in the U.S.: 0.4%
- Most common country of citizenship for international students: India
5. Ohio
- Percentage change in international students (2025–2026): -7.3%
- Total change in international students (2025–2026): -2,829
- Total international students (March 2026): 35,919
- Total international students (March 2025): 38,748
- Share of all international students in the U.S.: 2.9%
- Most common country of citizenship for international students: India
4. Missouri
- Percentage change in international students (2025–2026): -7.4%
- Total change in international students (2025–2026): -2,640
- Total international students (March 2026): 33,142
- Total international students (March 2025): 35,782
- Share of all international students in the U.S.: 2.7%
- Most common country of citizenship for international students: India
3. Montana
- Percentage change in international students (2025–2026): -9.9%
- Total change in international students (2025–2026): -90
- Total international students (March 2026): 816
- Total international students (March 2025): 906
- Share of all international students in the U.S.: 0.1%
- Most common country of citizenship for international students: Canada
2. Hawaii
- Percentage change in international students (2025–2026): -10.5%
- Total change in international students (2025–2026): -308
- Total international students (March 2026): 2,628
- Total international students (March 2025): 2,936
- Share of all international students in the U.S.: 0.2%
- Most common country of citizenship for international students: Japan
1. Washington
- Percentage change in international students (2025–2026): -15.8%
- Total change in international students (2025–2026): -4,330
- Total international students (March 2026): 23,152
- Total international students (March 2025): 27,482
- Share of all international students in the U.S.: 1.9%
- Most common country of citizenship for international students: China
Methodology
The data used in this study comes from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Study in the States data.
To determine the U.S. states losing the most international students, researchers at Manifest Law used the most recent data to calculate the percentage change in international students in the U.S. from March 2025 to March 2026.
International student figures in this analysis exclusively represent active F and M series visa records as tracked by the SEVIS database. This data encompasses both enrolled students and those participating in post-graduation Optional Practical Training (OPT), but excludes J-series exchange visitors.
Because this data tracks active SEVIS status rather than physical location, state-level tallies may be geographically skewed by OPT participants working out-of-state, cross-border commuters, and students on temporary leave or studying abroad.
Additionally, marginal double-counting may be present within the snapshot due to temporary system overlaps during mid-semester transfers or concurrent enrollment reporting errors.
Also, researchers calculated the total change in international students present in the U.S., the share of all international students in the U.S., and the most common country of citizenship for international students.
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