国际申请的下降在不同院校之间分布不均。录取率低于25%的最具竞争力的大学，国际申请仅下降了1%；而录取率超过50%的学校则出现了约20%的降幅。与此同时，国内申请者增长了4%，其中美国西南部地区增长了9%。这一趋势可能在近期签证政策进一步收紧后加速恶化，新政策限制了签证持有者更换专业、转学以及毕业后留美的能力。
报告还揭示了其他高等教育趋势：自2019年以来，首次有更多学生在申请中提交标准化考试成绩而非省略；提交SAT或ACT成绩的申请者增加了11%。此外，超过150万名学生申请了美国大学，同比增长2%；符合费用减免资格的申请者增长了6%；非裔申请者以8%的增幅成为增长最快的种族群体；女性申请者继续以高于男性的速度增长。
Data from Common App shows that international student applications to US colleges for this fall dropped approximately 10%, marking the steepest decline in at least a decade. Nearly 16,000 fewer foreign students applied compared to 2025, as the Trump administration intensified efforts to restrict overseas students through visa rule changes. Applications from Asia and Africa saw double-digit declines, while European applications fell by 4%, reversing years of steady growth as countries like France and Germany ramped up efforts to attract students disillusioned with US education.
The decline was unevenly distributed across institutions. The most selective schools, accepting fewer than a quarter of applicants, experienced only a 1% drop in international applications, while those accepting more than half saw roughly a 20% decrease. Domestic applications rose by 4%, led by a 9% surge from the Southwest US. Experts warn the trend could worsen following recent policy changes that limit visa holders' ability to switch majors, transfer schools, or remain in the US after graduation.
The report also highlighted a resurgence in standardized testing: for the first time since 2019, more applicants reported SAT or ACT scores than omitted them, with a 11% increase in score submissions. This shift follows announcements by Yale, Columbia, Princeton, and other elite universities reinstating testing requirements. Other notable findings include over 1.5 million total applicants (up 2%), a 6% rise in fee-waiver-eligible students, an 8% increase in Black applicants, and continued growth in female applicants outpacing male applicants.