University of Maryland Predicts 30% Decline in New Grad Students Due to Trump Visa Restrictions

The University of Maryland, College Park, could face a decline of as much as 30% of its newly admitted graduate students this fall, thanks to a new visa restriction proposed by the Trump administration this summer.

The University of Maryland, Baltimore, is in a similar boat: Officials estimated a 38% enrollment decline of international students last year, and predict that this fall’s numbers, which aren’t yet finalized, will face a sharp decline.

That’s according to two filings submitted by the public universities last week as part of a federal lawsuit. Several higher education organizations and unions sued the Trump administration this month over a policy that would limit the length of international student visas to four years. The policy is set to take effect in mid-September.

While the average undergraduate college student is expected to graduate in four years, international graduate students tend to earn their degrees in five or six years, especially if they are doctoral candidates. That means that most international students will have to apply for extensions, which the universities argued will lead to a loss of students and money.

The Department of Homeland Security, which issued the visa cap in July, has argued that allowing international students to stay in the United States until finishing their degrees, commonly known as “duration of status,” allowed for widespread abuse.

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Neither UMD nor UMB’s declaration addressed the federal government’s claims of visa fraud, instead citing the economic impacts that international students bring. At UMD, international students contributed $240.4 million to the university and surrounding community in the 2024-25 academic year, according to NAFSA: Association of International Educators. At UMB, the number was nearly $14 million.

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There are approximately 6,000 international students at UMD and 1,000 international faculty members, according to the university’s declaration signed by Susan-Ellis Dougherty, director of international student and scholar services at College Park.

As of last fall, the state’s flagship university hosted approximately 7,000 international students on F-1 and J-1 visas.

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