Fewer international students are on Ohio university campuses this fall compared to last year, early data shows. The drop coincides with the Trump administration’s increased scrutiny on the global students that universities enroll.

Cleveland State University, the University of Cincinnati and Kent State University each report double-digit declines of international students compared to last fall, according to figures reported by the schools. 

Similar drops are hitting other regional public universities, smaller private colleges, and some flagship institutions nationwide, according to Inside Higher Ed.  

Since President Donald Trump began his second term in January, he has focused criticism on universities, particularly on their international student enrollment. About 2,000 people legally studying in America – including several dozen in Ohio – had their student visas revoked this spring before the majority were eventually reinstated.  

Later, in late May, the U.S. State Department paused the scheduling of new international student visa interviews. Higher education advocates worried the timing of this pause would create backlogs and delays ahead of a new school year. 

And just last week, the Trump administration reportedly asked some colleges to cap undergraduate international student enrollment at 15%, among other moves, in exchange for potentially better access to federal funding. 

International student drops range from Cleveland State’s 34% to Ohio State’s 5% decline 

Ohio State University’s total international population fell to just about 6,000 students at all levels this fall, about a 5% decline from the same time last year. The university enrolled 67,255 students at its six campuses this fall.  

That drop at the state’s flagship university is modest compared to what other public universities across the state are experiencing this semester.

Kent State enrolled 1,768 international students at its Kent campus, down 18.5% from the same time last year. Total enrollment at the university’s main campus came in at nearly 25,000 students this semester.    

The University of Cincinnati reported 3,879 international students, a nearly 16% year-over-year-decline. Cincinnati officials haven’t yet posted overall fall 2025 enrollment data online. 

Cleveland State enrolled 1,249 international students, a 34% decline from fall 2024. Nearly 13,100 students in total enrolled there this fall.

These four institutions, along with Case Western Reserve University, enrolled the most international students in the state last year, according to one national report.  

The private university in Cleveland declined to share international enrollment numbers. As Signal recently reported, Case Western Reserve has stopped publicly detailing their international student enrollment. The University of Cincinnati no longer displays a “Student Diversity and Internationalization” chart that internet archives show used to appear on its website as recently as January 2025.

Case Western Reserve officials did share an online post that reports 10% of its new first-year class – or about 165 students – come from outside the United States. That’s a slight drop from last year, when about 12% of its new first-year class hailed from other countries, according to a similar post detailing the makeup of that year’s freshmen. 

Fewer international students can equate to financial losses 

International students make up an important part of a university’s student body – and schools’ bottom lines. 

These students often pay full tuition rates, unlike many of their American peers. This can provide an additional income stream to cash-strapped institutions. Cleveland State officials projected $11.5 million in lost revenue because of fewer international students, Crain’s Cleveland Business reported in May. 

But fewer international students can equate to non-financial losses, too. International students bring a diverse set of experiences and perspectives that advocates have long said help to make up a diverse campus’ community.   

And some in the international education world, including Kent State’s vice president of global education, Marcello Fantoni, worry that recent federal actions have influenced how prospective international students view America.  

“There is damage done there, and it will take a long time to be fixed,” he told Signal earlier this year. “A long time.”