Harvard University witnessed a sharp decline in Indian student enrolment in the fall of 2025, even as the Ivy League institution recorded the highest proportion of international students in its modern history. University data shows the number of Indian students fell by approximately 31 percent year on year, highlighting shifting global education trends amid political pressure on U.S. higher education.
Despite the decline in Indian enrolment, Harvard reported that international students made up 28 percent of its total student population in fall 2025 — equivalent to 6,749 students — the highest share since at least 2002. The increase represents a modest net gain of around 50 international students, but it stands out in a year marked by funding freezes, visa uncertainty, and legal confrontations between the university and the Trump administration.
“Maintaining international diversity in the face of sustained external pressure has been challenging,” said a senior academic administrator familiar with enrolment planning. “The data reflects both resilience and significant shifts in where international demand is coming from.”
Indian Enrolment Falls Across Schools
In fall 2025, 545 students from India were enrolled across Harvard’s various schools, down sharply from 788 Indian students in the 2024–25 academic year.
The breakdown across schools shows a broad-based decline:
- Harvard College: 31
- Graduate School of Arts and Sciences: 107
- Business School: 115
- Dental School: 6
- Graduate School of Design: 41
- Divinity School: 7
- Graduate School of Education: 36
- Kennedy School of Government: 71
- Law School: 22
- Medical School: 17
- T.H. Chan School of Public Health: 25
- Extension School: 67
Education analysts note that Indian students have historically formed one of the largest international cohorts at elite U.S. universities, particularly at graduate and professional schools. The steep drop at Harvard mirrors broader concerns about visa policies, rising costs, and geopolitical uncertainty affecting Indian applicants.
“Indian students are increasingly evaluating alternatives in Europe, Australia, and Asia,” said an international education consultant. “Policy unpredictability in the U.S. is becoming a deciding factor.”
Chinese Enrolment Rises, Remains Dominant
While Indian numbers fell, Chinese student enrolment increased significantly. Harvard enrolled 1,452 students from China in fall 2025, up from 1,203 the previous year — a rise of about 4.5 percent.
Chinese students remain the largest international group at Harvard, with strong representation across graduate and professional schools:
- Harvard College: 49
- Graduate School of Arts and Sciences: 591
- Business School: 47
- Dental School: 11
- Graduate School of Design: 218
- Divinity School: 10
- Graduate School of Education: 110
- Kennedy School of Government: 70
- Law School: 32
- Medical School: 75
- T.H. Chan School of Public Health: 176
- Extension School: 63
Enrolment from South Korea rose by nearly 9 percent, while numbers from India, the United Kingdom, and Canada were either flat or declined.
Political Pressure and Legal Battles
Harvard has been at the centre of President Donald Trump’s campaign to reshape U.S. higher education, which initially focused on allegations of campus antisemitism but later expanded to include diversity programmes, governance, admissions, and faculty hiring.
In 2025, the Trump administration froze billions of dollars in federal research funding and sought to block Harvard from enrolling international students after the university refused to comply with federal directives.
Federal courts later ruled in Harvard’s favour in two major cases involving funding cuts and visa restrictions, though the administration has appealed both decisions.
“The uncertainty created by these actions has had a chilling effect on international applicants,” said a higher education policy expert. “Even when courts intervene, the perception of risk remains.”
Last autumn, the administration also offered selected universities preferential access to federal funding in exchange for conditions that included capping international undergraduates at 15 percent, a proposal Harvard declined.
Graduate Growth Offsets Undergraduate Dip
At Harvard College, international undergraduate enrolment declined by 2.6 percent year on year. However, this was offset by growth in graduate and professional programmes, bucking national trends.
Across the United States, the number of international graduate students fell 12 percent year on year in fall 2025, according to national education data.
Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health recorded the fastest growth, with enrolment rising 8 percent, reflecting continued global demand for public health expertise post-pandemic.
Shifting Demographics on Campus
The university also reported changes in racial and ethnic composition. Asian American students made up 17.6 percent of total enrolment, up from 16.8 percent a year earlier. Meanwhile, the proportions of White, Black or African American, and Hispanic or Latino students declined slightly.
University officials said the changes reflect shifts in the incoming freshman class and broader demographic trends rather than targeted policy decisions.
As Harvard navigates political pressure, legal uncertainty, and global competition for talent, the contrasting trajectories of Indian and Chinese enrolment underscore how geopolitics and policy increasingly shape the flow of international students to U.S. campuses.
