US student visas for Indians drop 62 per cent in 2025 admissions season, CIS data shows

The number of Indian students granted US student visas during the peak admissions season fell sharply in 2025, dropping 62 per cent from a year earlier, according to data analysed by the US-based Centre for Immigration Studies (CIS).

American consulates issued 22,149 F-1 student visas to Indian nationals between May and August 2025. During the same period in 2024, the figure stood at 58,694. The number of Chinese students also saw a decline, though it was far less severe. F-1 visas issued to Chinese nationals fell 34 per cent year-on-year, from 61,075 to 40,034.

Visa issuances plunge

Those four months are the busiest part of the student visa cycle. Most international students receive their visas ahead of the start of the academic year in the US.

The decline comes at a time when India remains the largest source of international students in the country. Data from the Institute of International Education (IIE), cited in the CIS report, showed that 363,019 Indian students were enrolled at US colleges and universities during the 2024-25 academic year. China followed with 265,919 students.

India remains top source

Together, the two countries accounted for more than half of the 1.17 million international students studying at American higher education institutions. According to CIS, the drop in visa issuances could affect future enrolment trends and reduce the number of international graduates entering the US workforce.

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Excluding the pandemic-disrupted year of 2020, Indian nationals received an average of 55,717 F-1 visas during the May-August period across 2017-19 and 2021-24. The 2025 total is roughly 60 per cent lower than that average, reported India Today.

Beyond annual decline

The report also pointed to the role Indian graduates play in the Optional Practical Training (OPT) programme, which allows eligible international students to work in the US after completing their studies.

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During the 2024-25 academic year, 294,253 international graduates were employed through OPT. Nearly half of them, 143,740, were Indian nationals. Chinese graduates accounted for 61,981 participants.

Indian students also formed the largest group in the STEM OPT extension programme. Of the 165,524 authorisations issued in 2024, Indians accounted for 79,331. Chinese graduates received 33,807.

Reliance on OPT

The fall in student visa approvals comes amid a broader tightening of immigration rules under the Trump administration. In July, the Department of Homeland Security finalised a rule replacing the long-standing “duration of status” policy with a fixed period of admission for most F-1 visa holders. The measure takes effect on September 15.

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The administration has also shortened the grace period after graduation from 60 days to 30 days and imposed stricter requirements for students changing institutions or academic programmes.

At the same time, proposals to restrict the OPT programme remain under discussion. Any move in that direction would be felt most strongly by Indian students, who make up the largest share of participants, particularly in STEM fields.