Several universities in the United States, United Kingdom and Canada have reported a drop in international student enrolment this year compared to 2025. The reason? Restrictive government policies and visa issues.
Amid this churn, students are increasingly looking at European and Asia Pacific countries.
These findings were part of a new Global Enrolment Benchmark Survey for the January-March 2026 intake. It is produced by the National Association of Foreign Student Advisers (NAFSA), an association of International educators; Oxford Test of English; and Studyportals, is based on responses from 254 universities across 36 countries.
“Half of universities surveyed reported lower enrolments compared to the same intake last year,” the report stated.
It also noted that 73% of universities surveyed said restrictive government policies or visa issues are a significant problem. And 67% said these issues had the biggest negative influence on enrolments.
The report stated, “Many describe how policy volatility directly suppressed realised enrolments, converting offer-holders into deferrals, late arrivals, or losses to alternative destinations.”
This sentence will feel familiar to many Indian students. For an Indian family, a study-abroad plan is rarely casual. It may involve years of preparation, an education loan, language tests, application fees and the hope that the student will eventually earn enough to justify the investment.
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A visa delay or rejection can throw everything into chaos. A student may miss the intake, lose money on deposits, defer admission, or switch countries entirely.
Students move to European, Asia Pacific countries
The decline is concentrated in the big English-speaking destinations. As the report puts it, “Australia, Canada, the UK and the US saw declines for both Undergraduate and Postgraduate enrolments.”
In contrast, it said, “Institutions in European countries and in APAC (Asia Pacific Countries including Fiji, India, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, Taiwan) excluding Australia, reported enrolment growth, particularly at undergraduate level.”
Telling numbers
As per the report, in the United States, new international enrolments were down 20% at Bachelor’s level and 24% at Master’s level. In Canada, the decline was 24% for Bachelor’s and 19% for Master’s.
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The UK saw a fall of 11% and 15% in the two levels respectively, while Australia reported a small 1% fall at Bachelor’s level but a sharper 16% drop at Master’s level.
According to the report, 62% of US institutions reported lower undergraduate enrolments for the January-March 2026 intake.
Canada’s numbers are especially striking. The report stated that 69% of Canadian institutions reported lower undergraduate enrolments, and 80% reported lower postgraduate enrolments.
The UK is also feeling pressure, especially in postgraduate education: 65% of UK institutions reported lower postgraduate enrolments. In Australia, 67% said postgraduate enrolments were down.
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Meanwhile, European institutions reported average growth of 5% at Bachelor’s level and 1% at Master’s level. In APAC countries, excluding Australia, the reported increase was 16% for Bachelor’s and 5% for Master’s, though the sample size there was small.
The report describes this as a split market: “APAC countries (excl. Australia) and European countries stand out as the exception to the prevailing downturn, with undergraduate enrolments rising sharply.”
In other words, students are not giving up on international education. They are looking harder at where the risk is lowest and the value is clearest. The main reason for the turbulence is not a sudden collapse but policy uncertainty.
Steep tuition, hosing major obstacles
Another major obstacle is money. The survey found that 49% of institutions see affordable tuition and cost of living as a significant issue, up from 46% in January to June in 2025.
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The pressure is visible across major destinations. In Australia, 56% of institutions cited affordability and cost of living as a significant issue. In the US, the figure was 52%. In Europe, 49%. In the UK, 46%.
The report noted that universities often connect cost and policy uncertainty, saying “concerns about return on investment for students magnify the impact of uncertainty”.
Housing is becoming a problem of its own. Overall, 13% of institutions cited lack of suitable accommodation as a significant issue. But in Australia, the figure was 33%, the highest among the listed regions.
January intakes are also becoming more important. The report noted: “Several universities cited the introduction of January start dates to manage visa unpredictability and to capture students who would otherwise defer or drop out of the cycle.”
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For Indian students, this could be useful. A January intake can offer a second chance if a visa is delayed, test scores arrive late or final-year results take time. But students should check whether the same courses, scholarships and internships are available in January.
