If you are planning to study in the United States in 2026, recent trends suggest you may need to reconsider your plans. Newly released data from the US Department of State shows a sharp decline in F-1 visas granted to Indian students during June and July 2025, with only 12,776 approvals—a 69% drop compared to the same period in 2024, when 41,336 visas were issued. These months are traditionally the busiest for student visa processing, just ahead of the Fall semester starting in August or September.
Monthly figures reveal how quickly approvals fell. In June 2025, 10,695 visas were granted, dropping dramatically to 2,081 in July and 2,389 in August. By comparison, June 2024 alone saw 26,731 visas, and June 2023 recorded 40,224. The F-1 visa allows international students to pursue full-time education at accredited US institutions and participate in the Optional Practical Training (OPT) programme, which permits work in the US for up to three years in STEM fields.
This decline follows several years of strong growth after the Covid-19 pandemic. Approvals for Indian students rose from 40,194 in 2021 to 62,229 in 2022, reaching a high of 72,027 in 2023 before easing to 41,336 in 2024. The steep drop in 2025 now signals one of the sharpest slowdowns in recent years. The downward trend had already begun earlier in 2025, as consulates issued only 9,906 F-1 visas to Indian students between March and May, a 27% decline from the previous year and the lowest for those months since the pandemic. By the time the summer visa season arrived, the slowdown had intensified significantly.
The fall in visa approvals coincided with a temporary pause in student visa interviews in late May 2025, which resumed on June 18. According to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the pause was introduced to prepare for expanded screening procedures, including greater scrutiny of applicants’ social media activity. Applicants for F, M, and J visas were instructed to set their social media accounts to public and provide all usernames used over the previous five years.
Chinese students also experienced a decline during the same months, though the reduction was smaller. Between June and July 2025, 17,025 visas were issued to Chinese students, representing a 56% drop compared with 2024. The sharp reduction in student visas highlights the increasing challenges for Indian students planning to study in the United States in 2026.
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