International student enrollment dropped this fall, which comes on the heels of the Trump administration\u2019s restrictive immigration policy.<\/p>\n
This fall, undergraduate enrollment increased<\/a> by about 4.5% \u2014 marking an increase from 20,418 undergraduate students last year to 21,388 this year. Though most enrollment numbers increased across the board, international student enrollment dropped by approximately 6%. This comes after President Donald Trump\u2019s 2025 strict immigration policies<\/a> and harsh rhetoric<\/a> against immigrants.<\/p>\n Most international students at U.S. universities<\/a> use the F-1<\/a> or J-1<\/a> visa. The F-1 visa is used<\/a> most commonly for international students to study in the U.S., while the J-1 visa is generally used for short-term academic exchange programs.<\/p>\n This fall, 2,711 students with F-1 and J-1 visas enrolled at Pitt while last fall, the number was at 2,860 students, according to University spokesperson Jared Stonesifer.\u00a0<\/p>\n According to Stonesifer, there is no \u201creliable mechanism\u201d for the University to predict future enrollment percentages with the uncertainty of current immigration policy<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cStudents are advised to weigh these challenges against the substantial benefits of a U.S. education<\/a> at our institution,\u201d Stonesifer said. \u201cThe University is committed to monitoring changes in policy, visa processing and global events that may impact international students\u2019 ability to study in the United States and to providing support strategies<\/a> based on evolving circumstances.\u201d<\/p>\n On April 9<\/a>, the Trump administration revoked a Pitt student\u2019s visa and two recent graduates\u2019 visas. Shortly after, Student Government Board announced the students\u2019 legal statuses were restored in the federal Student and Exchange Visitor Information System<\/a>.<\/p>\n In early October, the Trump administration sent a memo<\/a> to nine U.S. colleges \u2014 not including Pitt \u2014 with specific requirements to get preferential access to federal funds. One requirement<\/a> said universities can have no more than 15% internationally exchanged undergraduate students.<\/p>\n The University approved 215 H1-B<\/a> visas in 2025, non-immigrant visas for highly educated foreign professionals to work in specialized jobs at universities and companies. Trump instituted a new $100,000 H1-B worker visa application fee<\/a> in September, which previously cost $215.<\/p>\n