Chapman defies the international enrollment drop

Illustration by Sami Seyedhosseini, Cartoonist

The number of international students enrolling in universities across the U.S. has plunged this year amid the Trump administration's immigration crackdown. However, at Chapman University, the international student population has held steady.

According to this year’s fall snapshot published by the Institute of International Education (IIE), international student enrollment across the U.S. decreased by 1% this academic year. However, new enrollment fell by 17%, marking the largest drop in more than a decade, aside from the COVID-19 pandemic. 

IIE said that 57% of the approximately 825 colleges and universities that provided data reported decreased enrollment from abroad. 

According to Chapman’s 2025 data, taken from the fall 2024 Open Doors census, there are 471 total international students on campus, making up about 5% of the 9,760 total students enrolled. These numbers have increased compared to the last few years, with 439 students in 2023, 369 in 2022 and 418 in 2021.                       

So what’s behind Chapman’s stability amid a national decline?

Tamara Fakhoury, a junior strategic and corporate communications major from Jordan, says it’s the recruitment and advisors at Chapman. She first learned about Chapman when a representative from the university came to a college fair at her school. 

“I’ve never even considered coming to a school (like Chapman) to be a possibility for me, but talking to the advisor that came, I was like ‘Wow, I can see the success I can have,’” she said. 

During her application process and the transition of moving to California, she said the advisors in both the International Admissions Office and International Student Services (ISS) were beneficial resources.

“Whenever I reached out, they were always so helpful and really helped me to settle in,” Fakhoury said. 

While the IIE found that undergraduate enrollment was generally on the rise, there was a 12% decrease in new graduate students, despite graduates accounting for the majority of international students in the U.S.

Of the 471 current international Chapman students, 234 are graduate students, a number that has also seen a steady increase in recent years, having only been 193 in 2021. The highest category of international students is attributed to those working towards a master’s degree, with 177 enrolled. This trend is consistent with past years, with 170 master’s students in 2023 and 153 in 2022. 

ISS sets up orientations at Chapman for international students at the beginning of their studies, introducing them to the U.S. university setting and the support services available to them.

“International students are regular Chapman students,” said Xochitl Lopez, the associate director of immigration programs. “They have the same resources available to them as any other student; we just look to provide them with a little more support should they need it.”

In addition to orientation, ISS sends newsletters to international students regarding events, resources and updates on immigration.

When it comes to immigration policies, many universities are grappling with the changes the Trump administration is implementing. Last month, a proposed compact between the federal government and universities floated a 15% cap on international students.

In May and June, the government tried to block Harvard University from enrolling international students, before those efforts were blocked by a federal judge.

Since taking office, President Donald Trump has also canceled visas for students, delayed screening interviews and imposed travel restrictions. More recently, higher education has been clashing with the Trump administration over a $100,000 fee for new H-1B visas, which are used by colleges and universities to fill various jobs.

However, at Chapman, immigration policies for students have been unaffected and continue to remain unchanged. 

“While some countries and locations might have delays for visas issued by the consular offices, we haven’t necessarily been impacted,” said Lopez.

Consular offices provide services for passports, birth registration and other resources for traveling abroad, such as necessary visas or documentation that allows for entry into a country.

“We can offer guidance, but mostly we recommend (that) students plan accordingly when scheduling appointments,” said Lopez.