Indian applicants to US colleges decline 15 percent

The number of Indian students applying for first-year undergraduate admission to US colleges via the Common Application decreased by 15 percent during the 2025–26 admissions cycle. According to an end-of-season report released by Common App, India recorded 14,424 applicants, a drop from approximately 16,900 in the previous cycle.

This decline reverses nearly a decade of rapid growth for Indian applicants. While the number of Indian students fell, China remains the largest source of international applicants on the platform with 18,435 students, representing a 2 percent decrease. The gap between Chinese and Indian applicants has widened to 4,011, compared to a gap of about 1,000 in the 2023–24 cycle.

Overall, international applicants on the platform fell by 10 percent. The decline in applicants from Asia, which fell 11 percent to 79,287, was largely driven by the reduction in Indian applications. In contrast, the total number of first-year applicants using the platform rose by 2 percent to 1,527,328, and total applications increased by 6 percent.