Postgraduate international student interest in the US has taken a sharp dive under Donald Trump’s second administration, falling by more than 40% from January-March 2025.
Early 2025 data has revealed declining postgraduate student interest in the US while interest in the UK is on the rise, new StudyPortals research has revealed.
“While it’s too early to say definitively that growing interest in the UK is a direct result of declining demand for the US, we are seeing a clear shift in student behaviour,” said StudyPortals head of communication, Cara Skikne.
Interest in the US for postgraduate on-campus programs fell most dramatically among Iranian and Bangladeshi students, by 61% and 54% respectively. While interest from India, Pakistan and Nigeria declined by more than a third.
“Students are not just choosing programs, they’re choosing futures in places they perceive as stable, welcoming, and full of opportunity,” said Skikne.
“The UK is increasingly part of the conversation,” Skikne added, with its relatively stable current policy environment increasingly catching the attention of prospective international students.
According to the data, student searches for both US and UK programs have grown by nearly 20% in the past six months, with key fields of business & management, and computer science seeing increases upwards of 25%.
“Almost 7% of all sessions looking at US bachelor’s and master’s degrees are now also looking at options in the UK. To put that in perspective, only 3.6% of US-bound students are also exploring Canadian programs,” Skikne explained.
The latest findings support a British Council survey that found the UK likely to be seen as the “most welcoming” major Anglophone destination, with Trump’s return to the White House and visa restrictions in Canada and Australia dampening appeal across the ‘big four’.
In a break from the previous Conservative UK government, the current Labour administration has vowed to welcome international students and to maintain the Graduate Route, though stopping short of reversing the dependants ban.
Despite the vote of confidence from international students, the UK has been warned not to “grow complacent”, with the British Council maintaining there is work to be done to diversify recruitment efforts and invest in TNE.
Meanwhile, the US sector has been rocked by unprecedented legislative change in the first 60 days of Trump’s second term, with student and staff deportations sending shockwaves across campuses and a travel ban expected imminently.