‘US not an option for us anymore’: Indian students turn away from America
According to data provided by the US government’s International Trade Administration, the number of Indians arriving in America on student visas fell by 44.5% in August 2025 compared to last year
“I have never seen anything like this in 30 years,” says Mrinalini Batra, a higher studies counsellor who has helped dozens of Indian students find their way into America’s most prestigious universities.
Batra is referring to a slew of measures enacted by the US President Donald Trump administration in recent months, from time-limiting foreign student visas and hiking H1B visa fees to demanding a 15% cap on international students at US universities. Taken together, the measures seem to mark a concerted effort to restrict the number of foreign students entering America.
According to data provided by the US government’s International Trade Administration, the number of Indians arriving in America on student visas fell by 44.5% in August 2025 compared to last year. July saw a similarly precipitous drop, with the number of arrivals dropping by roughly 46%.
HT spoke to students, parents and study abroad counsellors who confirmed the trend.
Visa restrictions, crackdowns on universities and a lacklustre job market are forcing many Indian students to turn away from America. Students are instead looking at the UK, Germany, Australia and Singapore as study abroad options.
“The US is just not an option for us anymore. We just felt that the stress and tension for our child were not worth it. This year, many kids studying in America just didn’t come back home for holidays because they weren’t sure if they would be allowed to re-enter. My son is already studying in America but my daughter will be going to study in the UK,” said one parent speaking to HT on the condition of anonymity.
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Indian students are most concerned by the Trump administration’s restrictions on skilled immigration, especially the newly announced $100,000 application fee for H1B visas.
For decades, the H1B visa was a key pathway for Indian students to work in America after graduation and to eventually transition to permanent residency. That pathway may now be disappearing.
Indian students tell HT that US firms have already begun to adjust hiring due to visa changes.
“Some firms have hired international students and then ended up revoking those offers and hiring Americans instead because they don’t want to deal with the visa hassle,” says one Indian student studying at a top US university.
This shift has made things harder for Indian students, particularly those who have taken loans to study in America.
“I know a friend who took $80,000 in debt to get a master’s degree in architecture from a top US university and now her US firm has told her they will not sponsor her for a visa. So she’s going to come back to India. It’s definitely something I have to consider,” says one Indian student who is looking at studying MBA in America.
Several Indian students have also been concerned by the Trump administration’s crackdown on universities and foreign students.
Earlier this year, the US government revoked the visas of several foreign students due to their alleged activism in support of Palestine. It also instituted expanded social media background checks for student visa applicants, causing delays for many students in India. Trump has also picked high profile battles with prominent US universities like Harvard. His administration has threatened cuts in government funding unless universities implement changes demanded by Washington, which includes a 15% cap on international students.
“I’m a little disillusioned. This is the kind of uncertainty I don’t need in my life. I have been telling people that if they are fully scholarship funded then they should come to America. If they have to pay, then they shouldn’t,” says one Indian student at Harvard University.
The Trump administration’s decision to place a strict four-year time limit on student visas has also impacted Indian PhD students, who typically spent between 5 to 7 years on their research.
“The number of people going from Masters to PhDs is going down. Funding has been cut and professors are less likely to say they can fund you for a few years,” says one Indian scholar pursuing a PhD in America.
It is unclear if the trend of students turning away from the United States is part of a longer term shift.
“I studied in America myself. It was a country which welcomed everyone. It is amazing to see how the country has changed overnight to become so inward looking,” one parent concludes.
