While the percent of student visas issued nationally dropped substantially last summer, Pitt’s new international student enrollment numbers fell by a few percentage points.

Student visas issued from June to August 2025 dropped by 35.6% from the previous summer, according to new U.S. Department of State data. The most drastic decline was in F-1 visas, — the most common visa international students obtain to pursue academic studies in the U.S. The drop follows the Trump administration’s freeze of all student visa interviews in early 2025.

Pitt saw a 4% decline in new international students from fall 2024 to fall 2025, dropping from 709 to 679 international students. The total international student enrollment at Pitt this fall was 2,711.

University spokesperson Jared Stonesifer said Pitt has a “smaller share” of international students compared to its peers in the Association of American Universities.

“Relative to the AAU public institutions, Pitt falls in the bottom third in terms of share of international students,” Stonesifer said.

Stonesifer explained Pitt’s efforts in international recruitment.

“Pitt has dedicated international recruitment staff across both graduate and undergraduate enrollment teams who travel globally to build relationships with students, families and secondary schools in key markets,” Stonesifer said. “These efforts work to raise Pitt’s profile abroad and guide prospective students at all levels through the application process.”

Sara Jones, an associate director in the Office of International Services, said the national decline in issued visas is likely due to the visa-obtaining process “taking longer and longer.”

“Some people aren’t getting their visas as reliably as they used to in certain countries in certain parts of the world. There is an increase in denials in certain parts of the world. There’s an increase in what is called administrative processing, which is when there’s a delay between the appointment and the approval or denial,” Jones said.

Jones said some countries are facing longer delays than others, depending on the quantity of  students attempting to get their visas in a respective country.

“The reason for the long delay is because some consulates have more students than others. For example, there’s a lot of students applying for visas in India, whereas in another country, there may not be as many,” Jones said.

Jashwanth Uganandan, a first-year electrical engineering major and international student, moved from Japan to Pittsburgh on an F-1 visa to complete his higher education in the English language and to live in a city. Uganandan said OIS worked with him throughout the visa freeze when he was unsure if he would be able to come to America.

“[The OIS] was really helpful to me. I explained my visa situation to them, and they said it’s OK, even if [I’m] gonna end up here late, they can accommodate,” Uganandan said.

Uganandan said his visa process was paused due to the Trump administration’s visa freeze, and he could not obtain a visa for two months.

“I had no clue where I was going to end up, if I would be able to come to America at all, but two weeks before my orientation date here at Pitt, I took my visa interview — thankfully, got it — and made it over here,” Uganandan said.

Uganandan said he believes the decline in international student enrollment in the U.S. will likely continue because of students’ fears of coming to the country right now.

“A lot of students are very fearful of the current administration and what might happen to them if they stay here or if they come here to study, so they might wait until after this administration’s out, and hopefully a more supportive administration is here,” Uganandan said.

Jones also said she believes the national decline in new international students is likely to continue.

“I would not be surprised at all to continue to see declines in the immediate future. I would love for it to level out, but I will not be surprised if we see continued decline,” Jones said.