Supporting International Students in an Uncertain Policy Environment

International student enrollment is at a crossroads. Fall 2025 saw a 17% drop in new international student enrollments, costing institutions over $1.1 billion in lost revenue. Visa processing disruptions, proposed rule changes, and evolving compliance requirements have created unprecedented uncertainty for students, scholars, and the institutions that serve them.

Our comprehensive guide examines the current policy landscape and provides actionable strategies to support international students through this period of volatility.

What You’ll Learn

• How new visa integrity fees, increased application costs, and EAD fee increases are affecting student budgets and enrollment decisions
• What the proposed elimination of D/S means for your operations
• How AI tools can help organizations better field queries and improve support operations

Why It Matters

International students contributed $42.9 billion to the U.S. economy in 2024-2025. The 17% enrollment decline eliminated nearly 23,000 jobs and cost institutions over $1.1 billion. Graduate enrollment fell 12%, hitting research programs especially hard.

Traditional support models break under policy-driven inquiry surges. When the State Department suspended visa interviews between May 27 and June 18, 2025, F-1 visa issuance dropped 22% in May and NAFSA estimated June declines of 80-90%. Support teams faced immediate volume spikes that staffing alone cannot address.

The institutions that build responsive infrastructure now, combining AI-powered tools that scale without compromising accuracy with omnichannel systems that meet students where they are, will be best positioned to retain and recruit international students through this uncertainty and beyond.