International student crackdown not reflected in data
Mount Holyoke College’s population of international students remained constant this fall, aligning with a stable trend observed across the broader American higher education sector.
In May 2025, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the federal government would “aggressively” revoke international students’ visas. Many predicted a sharp decline in the number of international students enrolling at colleges and universities, but new federal data reveal a less than 1% decrease this fall. In line with this finding, Mount Holyoke’s international student population has remained constant, comprising 20% of the incoming class of 2029.
Mandy Hart, dean of admission at Mount Holyoke College, recently spoke to The Washington Post about this finding. She told The Washington Post that the College had many conversations with families concerned about the visa situation. Despite concerns, however, most students received their visas before the fall semester. “This year was not markedly different than previous years in terms of students having issues with obtaining their visas,” she said.
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