Worcester Business Journal

10 Worcester Business Journal | April 6, 2026 | wbjournal.com BY MICA KANNER-MASCOLO WBJ Staff Writer I n spring 2025, Worcester Poly- technic Institute and Clark Uni- versity stood by their internation- al students amid the President Donald Trump Administration's revocation of thousands of student visas. At the time, neither school knew how deeply the immigration crackdown would impact enrollment. Now, they do. WPI's international graduate student enrollment fell 15.5%, from 807 to 691 students between fall 2024 and 2025, according to its data. At Clark, the drop-off was 35.6%. e university's combined population of graduate students and those non-under- graduate classified as other decreased from 1,483 to 955 between fall 2024 and 2025. Last year, 75% of Clark's graduate students were international students, said Angela Bazydlo, Clark media relations manager. "International graduate students bound for all U.S. universities face more intensive screening and longer waits for visa appointments, delaying or even preventing their enrollment," Jonathan Small, WPI associate vice president of graduate enrollment and student suc- cess, said in an email to WBJ. Assuming these students would have paid full tuition, as international students typically do, the enrollment drop is about a $6-million loss for WPI and $18 million for Clark. Both losses would be a sizable percentage of each schools' annual operating revenue, which are about $380 million for WPI and about $160 million for Clark, according to their financial statements. Both schools now are expanding recruitment efforts and offering new incentives to keep enrollment up. "We are broadening recruitment efforts, expanding into new regions, and continuing to enhance our in-demand programs … to proactively meet the demand for talent in a shiing global landscape," Small said. Barriers to international enrollment e entire nation saw a 17% decrease in new international student enrollment, according to NAFSA: Association of International Educators, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit association. Between May 27 and June 18, the U.S. Department of State paused all new student visa interviews. While that was only about three weeks, the pause came at one of the worst times for interna- tional graduate students, said Rachel Banks, senior director for public policy and legislative strategy at NAFSA. "e timing of the interview pause may have impacted graduate students more than under- graduates," Banks said. Incoming graduate students tend to pick a uni- versity later than undergraduates, as they are oen in the workforce and haven't spent years preparing for the decision like high schoolers, she said. e pause came during a critical time when graduates were finalizing their choices whether to study in the U.S. e pause created a backlog of inter- views, contributing to a 35.6% decrease in new student visas issued last summer, according to Washington, D.C.-based news outlet Inside Higher Ed. Additionally, the Trump Adminis- tration has proposed the elimination of the duration-of-status policy allowing international students to stay in the U.S. for the duration of their studies without a specific departure date. Instead, the administration has proposed impos- ing a four-year cap, leaving students to reapply to remain longer without a guarantee of approval. "If you're going to be investing money in a degree program that you're paying a high-dollar sum for, you really want to Falling grad enrollment WPI & Clark University were hit hard this fall by steep drop in international student matriculation Falling graduate student enrollment The number of new student visas dropped last summer by 36% throughout the U.S., impacting enrollment at Clark University and Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Fall 2024 Fall 2025 Decrease All Clark graduate and other students 1,483 955 36% All WPI graduate students 2,026 1,927 5% WPI international graduate students* 807 691 16% *Clark University didn't provide exact statistics on international graduate student enrollment, but it's graduate school is comprised of 75% international students. Sources: Clark University, Worcester Polytechnic Institute Jonathan Small, WPI associate vice president of graduate enrollment and student success Rachel Banks, NAFSA senior director for public policy and legislative strategy International students comprise an above- average portion of the students at Clark University (left) and Worcester Polytechnic Institute. PHOTOS | WBJ FILE PHOTOS

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