International student enrollment down this fall at some NC universities, but not UNC
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- International enrollment fell at NC State and UNC Charlotte but rose at UNC-Chapel Hill.
- Visa delays and policy changes could have disrupted fall 2025 student arrivals.
- Despite uncertainty, universities reinforced support for international students.
As the Trump administration targeted international students this spring and summer, some enrollment experts feared the fall would bring a decline in the number of such students on U.S. campuses.
Now, weeks into the fall semester, data is slowly emerging showing how many international students made it to the U.S. in time for their courses. But in North Carolina, the numbers hardly paint a clear picture of the possible impacts the Trump administration’s actions might have played in the process.
According to enrollment numbers reviewed by The News & Observer:
- International students account for roughly 28% of this fall’s enrollment at Duke University, which in recent years has had the highest international enrollment in North Carolina. That’s the same proportion Duke listed last fall, but the university reported a slightly lower enrollment overall compared to last year, meaning there are fewer international students on campus this semester.
- NC State University, which in recent years has had the second-most international students in North Carolina, has 3,585 international students this fall, down about 6.5% — equal to 150 fewer students — than last year.
- UNC Charlotte, which in the 2023-24 year had the third-highest international enrollment in North Carolina, has 1,683 international students this fall, a roughly 17% decrease from last year’s 2,019 students.
- UNC-Chapel Hill, which in recent years has had the fourth-most international students in the state, has more than 1,180 international students this fall — about 120 more than last year, or an 11.5% increase.
Clay Harmon, executive director of AIRC, the Association of International Enrollment Management, a membership-based organization for colleges that develops standards for enrolling international students, told The N&O by email there isn’t yet a clear snapshot of national trends this fall.
But anecdotally, Harmon said, he’s not surprised to see the mixed-bag of enrollment outcomes across the state.
“We are getting the early sense that institutions are facing an array of scenarios this fall, without any striking trends. Perhaps this is a symptom of it being too early for solid data, but I think it’s fair to say that international enrollment is unsettled in the context of policy and geopolitical turmoil,” Harmon wrote. “Furthermore, there are a wide variety of factors that can contribute to each institution’s specific enrollment outcomes, both internal and external. Some of these align with broader trends but others are unique and idiosyncratic.”
Even local university officials are struggling to come up with clear explanations for this fall’s enrollment numbers.
At a faculty meeting on Sept. 5, UNC Chancellor Lee Roberts said “we’re not exactly sure why” the university experienced an increase in its international enrollment.
Trends, impacts still unclear
But the numbers at UNC are “good news,” Roberts added.
“It’s important for the strength and richness and diversity of our university community,” he said. “International students add immeasurably to everything that we undertake here at Carolina.”
International students provide an estimated state-level impact of approximately $914.5 million in North Carolina — part of the broader impact of $44 billion that they contribute to the economy nationwide, according to NAFSA, the Association of International Educators.
In late July, NAFSA predicted international enrollment could drop by as much as 30% to 40% across the country, resulting in an economic loss of nearly $7 billion. In North Carolina, the organization projected, that could equal a loss of more than $144 million this fall if international enrollment dropped significantly.
Such predictions were driven by several factors, including the pause on student visa interviews enacted by the Trump administration in late May, which is considered to be the peak season for students obtaining the necessary documents to enter the U.S. for their fall studies. While the interviews resumed in mid-June, it remained difficult for many students to schedule appointments — particularly those from China and India, which are the top countries sending students to the U.S. and account for more than half of all international students enrolled here.
At UNC, at least some of those students appear to have been successful in obtaining their visas. Roberts said China and India accounted for the top countries of origin among this fall’s international students, keeping with an existing trend for the university.
The Duke Chronicle reported that some of Duke’s prospective international students were denied visas, though a university official said that was typical of every summer. The university reopened its waitlist for first-year students this summer after initially closing it, but an interim dean overseeing admissions denied the decision was connected to international students, The Chronicle reported.
Officials in the Duke International Student Center and the university’s visa services division provided one-on-one advising throughout the summer to students and their families to help them work through the changes, Kevin D’Arco, senior associate dean of international students at Duke, told The N&O in a statement.
“Given the longer-than-expected delays,” Duke also allowed late arrivals for international students, D’Arco said.
Other concerns may remain
Now that the semester has started, international students and their U.S. universities may have other concerns, though, including whether students will be able to remain in the U.S., or return to the country if they were to leave, given the increase in entry screenings and travel bans implemented by the Trump administration.
NC State, for instance, has advised international students and scholars to “carefully assess your individual risks, have contingency plans and consider how the possibility of a delayed return would affect your ability to resume on-campus research, work, or study.”
“We recognize the uncertainty of the situation and encourage you to be as flexible as possible with your travel plans,” an online FAQ for NC State’s international community reads.
Harmon said most universities he’s communicated with this fall are working to support their international students and provide them with resources and advice throughout this uncertain time.
At Duke, that’s taking the shape of onboarding programming for students that includes “educational materials to help students transition to life in Durham and the United States,” as well as “community-building programs” organized by the university’s International Student Center.
“This is not only the right thing to do, but also the best way to work toward positive enrollment outcomes in the long term,” Harmon said. “By focusing on factors they can control and offering positive experiences, institutions will see better retention rates and build their brands as effective and caring places to study.”
