Washington. The impact of US President Donald Trump's strict immigration policies and the changing environment is now visible on the inclination of Indian students to go to America. The attraction of Indian students towards America, which was once considered the first choice for higher education, has decreased. In one year the number of active Indian students there decreased by about 50 thousand. However, India still remains the largest source of international students in the US.
According to data from the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) of the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the number of active Indian students in the US fell to 3,16,893 in October 2026, while it was 3,66,258 in October 2025. In this way there was a decrease of 49,365 students in one year, which is about 13.5 percent. This decline is far greater than the total number of international students studying in the US. During this period, the number of active students from all countries decreased from 12,83,240 to 11,92,572, i.e. a decrease of about 7.1 percent. The number of students coming from China also declined by 10.2 percent to 2,20,157.
Highest decline in Masters
The biggest decline among Indian students was recorded in Masters courses. At this stage, the number of students decreased from 2,92,929 to 2,34,034, i.e. a decrease of about 20 percent. In contrast, the number of Indian students pursuing PhD increased from 28,609 to 41,729. The numbers in undergraduate courses also dropped from 38,522 to 36,011. According to the data, in October 2026, 1,95,341 Indian males and 1,21,552 female students were registered in active student records in America.
More than three lakh visas canceled
The US State Department said that more than three lakh visas have been canceled during the tenure of Foreign Minister Marco Rubio. This is the largest number ever in American history. The Trump administration is conducting a comprehensive review of the cases of foreign nationals holding US visas. These figures were released on the official X account of the department late Saturday evening. According to the department, maximum 4000 visa berths were canceled for those coming to America on tourism. Through this, children born in America get citizenship there.
91% Indians in line for EB-2 green card
The long queue of Indian professionals waiting to get permanent residence i.e. green card in America is also raising concerns. According to US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) data till June 2026, out of 3,91,296 approved applications awaiting visa numbers in the EB-2 category for professionals with advanced degrees, 3,56,360 are from people born in India. That means about 91.1 percent of the applications are from Indians. The number of such applications from China is 34,936.