Indian students in the US fell 6.9% — and the four-year rule lands on 15 September
The number of Indian students in the United States dropped to 352,644 in early 2026, down 6.9% year on year as visa screening tightened — and a rule capping most student stays at four years takes effect on 15 September.
The number of Indian students in the United States has fallen for the first time in years — and a new rule due in September could deepen the decline.
There were 352,644 Indian students in the US as of February 2026, down from 378,787 a year earlier, a drop of 6.9%, according to figures reported by Business Standard from US enrolment data. The fall follows a collapse in new visas: F-1 student visas issued to Indians during the peak June–July admissions window fell sharply year on year, as consular slots tightened, screening expanded to applicants' social-media profiles, and interview availability shrank. (Context on the visa squeeze: our piece on the F-1 refusal-rate spike and the wider 31% drop in Indians studying abroad.)
The next pressure point is dated. On 15 September 2026, the US replaces the old "duration of status" system — under which a student could stay as long as they remained enrolled — with a fixed admission period generally capped at four years, after which students must seek formal approval from USCIS to continue. It applies to those already enrolled, not just new arrivals. (What it means in practice: our guide to America's four-year student-visa rule.)
The numbers here are early-2026 data, not a fresh monthly count — but the direction is clear, and the September rule lands into an intake that is already shrinking. For families weighing a US degree this cycle, the calculus has changed: the door is narrower, and the clock on it now runs from day one.
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