In India, I saw that students haven’t given up on the United States – but they’re watching closely

I write this from an airplane somewhere over Germany after several weeks in India recruiting on behalf of The Fletcher School at Tufts University. What a whirlwind!

My time was filled with campus visits, student presentations, and conversations with faculty and administrators about Fletcher and the broader state of American higher education. I also joined gatherings with alumni and prospective applicants eager to hear what studying in the United States feels like right now. At my institution, as at many US graduate schools, international students make up a significant portion of the community, and India has long been one of our most represented countries.

During the trip, I found myself reading a Times of India article citing new US higher education data from the Institute of International Education: a 17% decline in new international enrolments for fall 2025, following a 7% drop the year before. NAFSA estimates these trends could translate into a USD$1.1 billion loss to US higher education this year alone. Those numbers are striking, and they were very much on students’ minds throughout the trip.

But international students are far more than a data point. Although I did not attend Fletcher myself, I completed a master’s degree at a similarly international institution in Boston, and my time there was shaped profoundly by classmates whose global perspectives were rooted in lived experience. Their presence enriches American higher education, and something meaningful is lost when those numbers decline.

Across India, I encountered a wide range of academic environments. In Delhi, I met undergraduates majoring in everything from economics to sociology to public policy. In Bangalore, I spoke with engineering students, law students, and young professionals working at the intersection of technology and governance. Despite that breadth, the questions raised were remarkably consistent and pointed. These were the hardest ones I received:

• How are you supporting students seeking employment given shifting H-1B policies?
• Is the United States really becoming unfriendly toward international students?
• Is an American degree even still worth it?

What stayed with me was not only the substance of these questions, but what they revealed about how prospective applicants are currently approaching decisions. These were not demands for certainty, nor expressions of hostility toward the United States. They were attempts to assess risk. For many, pursuing an American degree represents a major financial and personal investment, often involving family resources and expectations. When policies feel unstable, even modest uncertainty carries real weight.

That careful decision-making was evident in the effort students made simply to participate in these interactions. One student travelled more than four hours to attend an alumni event. Others took time off work to join information sessions or campus visits.

Those choices were intentional. They underscored that in-person engagement still holds real value, particularly at a moment when some institutions have reduced international travel and shifted back to online recruitment. Being physically present made it easier to have candid, practical conversations, and that mattered.

Institutions cannot control federal policy, but they can control how they respond. Across the sector, schools have had to communicate more deliberately this past academic year, create clearer support structures, and adapt career advising as employment pathways shift.

Institutions cannot control federal policy, but they can control how they respond

Financial constraints remain a significant barrier, particularly as access to affordable financing narrows. Plainly, from what I observed, Indian students are paying close attention to how institutions respond to external challenges when deciding whether to pursue study in the United States.

At my own institution, that response has focused on continuity and transparency during periods of uncertainty. Throughout 2025, we stayed closely engaged with incoming international students as they navigated visa timelines and arrivals, and we expanded structured peer support through an international student ambassador program.

We also made space for open conversations about safety, rights, and employment concerns, even when answers were incomplete. That openness does not eliminate uncertainty, but it absolutely makes it more navigable.

My biggest takeaway from this trip is that interest among Indian students in US higher education remains, even amid an unpredictable policy environment. Institutions cannot solve every structural challenge facing international students, but they can choose how present they are. Those that communicate consistently and invest in tangible support seem far more likely to maintain trust during unpredictable times.

I was also struck by how my conversations evolved over the course of each visit. Meetings that began with general skepticism often shifted toward practical questions about application materials and institutional fit. Time will tell how successful this trip will be from an enrolment perspective, but my experience suggests that presence still matters.

At a moment when many admissions offices are reconsidering how to allocate shrinking recruitment budgets, I am leaving India convinced this is exactly when international engagement should expand, not contract.

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