Fewer Indian students are heading to the US. According to the US Commerce Department's International Trade Administration, 25,321 Indian students arrived on F and M visas in August 2026. In August 2025, the number was 41,540.
What the numbers show
- A 39% fall in a year, and the lowest August figure since the pandemic year of 2020, when only 2,908 arrived.
- August 2023 saw a record 93,833 arrivals. This year's figure is 73% below that peak.
- It is 66.2% below August 2024.
- One analysis puts the F-1 refusal rate for Indian applicants in 2025 at 61%.
Why it is happening
Reports point to stricter immigration rules under Donald Trump's second administration, more document checks and fewer visa interview slots. Applicants describe longer interviews, background checks, delays and rejections. Uncertainty about jobs is also making families wary of spending large sums on study abroad.
Students are looking at Germany, the UK and Canada, and at universities in India. Telugu families planning US studies will want to follow this shift closely.
