Fewer international students are walking the halls at the University of Central Missouri this fall, a change Patience Mensah, an international graduate student, is noticing. While UCM has long enrolled more international students than any other Missouri university, the numbers have dropped sharply this semester. According to UCM’s Enrollment at a Glance, total international enrollment has fallen by 59%, marking one of the steepest declines in recent years.
“This year, there has been a really drastic drop in international students on campus and so quickly. I think it is mostly the fact of the political climate and everything happening with immigration,” Patience Mensah, an international graduate student, said.
Total international student enrollment was 3,846 in Fall 2023, with a small decrease in Fall 2024 to 3,425. However, a larger decline was shown in Fall 2025, with total international student enrollment coming in at 1,405.
“In the past year we have seen a lot of change in government policy towards international students and immigration in general. There are other factors at play. Most of the students who come to us to study are in IT or tech-related fields and those jobs are slowing down, so these are the kind of larger factors that are driving the trends in enrollment,” said Tim Crowley, Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs.
According to an article by the New York Times, the Trump administration has heightened the scrutiny of student visas, putting a number of visa appointments on hold. Additionally, the Trump administration has deported and denied entry to international students that were involved in pro-palestinian activism, according to the New York Times and ABC News. Because of the hold on visa appointments, there was an estimated loss of 28-56 students at UCM.
“There were approximately 100 admitted students who were not able to acquire a visa but still had the desire to take online courses from UCM this fall,” Crowley said.
The decline is limited to the graduate program, with less than 12% of UCM’s enrolled international students being undergraduates during the previous three academic years. The undergraduate international student enrollment has increased 14.3% from Fall 2024 to Fall 2025. According to Ann McCoy, Vice-Provost for Academic Programs and Dean of Graduate Studies, it is more difficult for international graduate students to come to the United States than undergraduate students because it is harder for them to get a visa, leading to a 62% decrease in international graduate enrollment in Fall 2025.
“The decline in graduate international enrollment is largely due to the increased difficulty students face in obtaining a visa to come to the United States. The process has slowed significantly, and even scheduling an appointment to apply for a visa takes much longer than in previous years,” McCoy said.
“The visa processing and interviews can be very difficult,” Menesah said. “My uncle had experience here, so he helped me with the process. When it comes to the visa processing, there should be a transition that can make things easier, like showing how to apply or a step-by-step guide.”
During the Committee on Academic Affairs meeting on June 13, UCM President Rodger Best said that while international graduate enrollment is down, it has been anticipated and accounted for in the budget. International students make up about 30% of enrollment at UCM, accounting for nearly a quarter of the university’s tuition revenue.
“Any decline in enrollment does, of course, have an impact on tuition revenue. Fortunately, UCM predicted this decrease in enrollment and planned accordingly,” McCoy said.
Further information on UCM’s international student enrollment data and outreach efforts can be found on the Campus Data Hub page on the university’s official website. For current updates to the international student rules and regulations, you can visit the Student and Exchange Visitor Program.
