St. Louis universities see drop in international enrollment

ST. LOUIS - International student enrollment has significantly decreased at St. Louis area universities this fall.

The decline follows efforts by the Trump administration to curb immigration and change visa rules, impacting universities such as St. Louis University, Washington University, SIU-Edwardsville, and Webster University.

According to our partners at the Post-Dispatch, St. Louis University experienced the steepest decline, with more than 1,500 fewer international students compared to last year, while Washington University reported a decrease of 1,000 foreign students.

SIU-Edwardsville saw a 15% drop in international student enrollment. Webster University noted a preliminary 10% decline, with many international students opting for their campuses outside the U.S.

International students constitute a significant portion of the student body at these institutions, with 27% at Washington University, 22% at St. Louis University, and more than half at Webster University.

All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by KTVI. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat from a broadcast script into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by KTVI staff before being published.