UC San Diego international enrollment climbs despite nationwide decline

UCSD was bracing to see a roughly 30% drop in international enrollment for the 2025-26 school year, but that’s not what happened.

Despite immigration concerns, international enrollment remained as strong as ever.

“We think the U.S. has a better education,” said a first year Chinese student, Evy Guo, from China.

Kocheng Lin is a sophomore from Taiwan.   

“I was thinking that, because we have the opportunity that we should, just, you know, take it,” he said.

His mindset is to make the most of his U.S. education despite the risks.

Last school year, the federal government revoked 35 UC San Diego student visas, stoking fears that attending the school might not be safe.

“Could they literally make it through the logistical hurdles of the U.S. visa department, run by the state department, working more slowly and less friendly than ever before?” said Jim Rawlins, who manages enrollment.

UC San Diego accepted 7,428 international first-year students this school year, the most it has offered in three decades, because it expected more students to say no. But they came anyway.

“I think it’s all about your luck or something, because I did not encounter any difficulty with my visa,” Evy Guo said.

“I am kind of worried, but I feel like if I don’t do anything to stand out, it shouldn’t be too bad,” Kocheng Lin added. “I always bring my passport or my visa with me. My documents are always with me, and I think that’s just my plan right now.”

This past summer, UC San Diego expanded webinars for international families who were concerned about what could happen if they sent their children to attend, and if a student had trouble getting their visas in time, the school allowed them to start their semester late.

“Which is really unusual for us,” Rawlins said. “But, again, we decided we would do anything we could to make this not get in the way of the students.”

Rawlins also said a longer-term concern would be that, if immigration enforcement ramps up, some of the students who initially said yes might not stay all four years.

Despite the report by the Institute of International Education showing a 17% decline in new international students enrolling in American colleges, UC San Diego administrators project even more international applicants next school year.