Is the American Dream Fading for Indian Students?

The Trump administration’s increasing crackdown on student visas has led to a drastic drop in Indian enrolments at US universities in August 2025. The enrolment of Indian students has dwindled to 45%, according to Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC). 

The GMAC 2025 Application Trends Survey also found that there has been a 25% rise in applications from international students to Indian graduate management programmes, indicating a major shift in global business education patterns.

In the GMAC White Paper, it was stated that Indian students were preferring universities in Asia and continental Europe to North America, given the change in the US visa policy and affordability concerns.

The GMAC’s Prospective Students Survey also found that international students were also less inclined to US universities which was evident in 42% drop in 2025, from the 57% preference in 2019. Students from across the world were found to be evincing more interest in getting enrolled in universities in Asia, Eastern and Western Europe, which registered a growth.

Indian students formed the major share of students who failed to matriculate despite paying deposits. This is mainly due to visa delays, denials and interview hassles.

The decline in Indian enrolment in the US is mainly attributed to the visa constraints which is leading to an uncertain atmosphere. Apart from visa delays, there is uncertainty around post-study employment and over the H-1B visa issuance. In addition, the depreciation of Indian rupee is also discouraging the Indian students from choosing the US universities as a preferred destination for their higher studies.

While the Indian students’ interest in US universities has reduced, the US students are showing greater inclination to get enrolled in Indian business schools. The GMAC survey found that overseas applications to Indian management programmes has increased 25%, indicating that international students are also preferring India as an education destination.

Another GMAC pulse survey conducted in 361 business schools found that 54% of programmes  in the Asia-Pacific region showed higher international enrolment in Fall 2025, compared to last year.