In fall 2023, international students accounted for 46.3% of WashU’s total graduate population. By the 10th week of fall 2026, that number had fallen to 38.2%, according to data from the Office of the University Registrar. This decline in international student enrollment is felt most strongly in master’s degree programs.

International undergraduate enrollment is up to 11.2% from 10.4% in fall 2025 and 8% in fall 2022.

This enrollment data shows overall international student enrollment numbers across all schools, but does not distinguish between international and domestic enrollment within school-specific data.

Although enrollment in master’s degree programs across nearly every WashU school has declined, PhD and professional doctoral paths have largely retained their enrollment numbers. Since doctoral candidates are largely supported through research grants and institutional stipends rather than student tuition, PhD enrollment tracks closely with research expansion and faculty headcount.

In the McKelvey School of Engineering, total master’s degree enrollment dropped to 675 students in fall 2026 from 1,057 in fall 2022. Aaron Bobick, dean of the McKelvey School of Engineering, estimated this downturn represents a 20% to 25% reduction in master’s tuition flowing into the school’s operating budget. 

Bobick noted how these trends were affecting engineering schools nationwide.

“The decline in the number of master’s students is in many ways fewer applications, then slightly reduced yields, and then more melt,” Bobick said. “Pretty much all engineering schools are seeing the same challenge.”

The Olin Business School saw a similar decline, with master’s enrollment falling to 1,382 in fall 2026 from 1,988 in fall 2022.

The total enrollment for the School of Law is 1,036 students compared to 1,042 in fall 2025 and 1,223 in fall 2022.

For the College of Arts & Sciences, master’s enrollment decreased to 107 students in fall 2026 from 173 in fall 2024. Joseph Jez, vice dean of graduate studies in the College of Arts & Sciences, noted that while completed applications fell and deferrals rose due to visa hurdles, applicant caliber remained high. 

“The quality of our international applicants did not drop,” Jez said. “In fact, some of our PhD programs admitted their strongest cohorts to date.”

The Brown School recorded 257 master’s students in fall 2026, down from 460 in fall 2022 but up from 242 in fall 2025. Meanwhile, the new Bursky School of Public Health enrolled 84 master’s students in fall 2026.

The Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts enrolled 187 in fall 2026, down from 210 in fall 2022.

The School of Medicine largely defied these trends with a 61% increase in overall enrollment to 1,909 students compared to 1,180 in fall 2025 and 1,315 in fall 2022.

Although enrollment numbers for master’s degrees are down nearly across the board, doctoral degrees are experiencing the opposite trend.

The College of Arts & Sciences enrolled 779 doctoral students in fall 2026, up from 702 in fall 2022. The McKelvey School of Engineering mirrored this with a rise to 604 students in fall 2026 compared to 509 in fall 2022. This increasing trend can be seen across the other WashU schools as well.

In light of these recent enrollment changes, Feng Sheng Hu, dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, who came to the U.S. as an international student in 1987, emphasized that the stakes go far beyond university balance sheets. 

“The challenges and uncertainties facing international students right now will have broad, negative effects that extend far beyond university enrollment and finances,” Hu wrote in an email to Student Life. “If these trends continue, it will hurt the intellectual vitality of our academic community. A diversity of perspectives has always been a cornerstone of higher education and, without it, our research, teaching, and scholarship will suffer.”

In order to combat declining enrollment, academic departments across WashU are exploring new methods to increase targeted global outreach.

WashU Global has launched several investments in an attempt to attract and support international students. These have included revitalizing the Office for International Students & Scholars and the Office for International Student Engagement.

The Brown School recently committed over $9 million in funding for its master’s program in social work, which led to a 29% increase in the program’s enrollment from 2025 to 2026. 

Similarly, Bobick explained how the McKelvey School of Engineering increased their number of information sessions, waived application fees, sent faculty to universities across the globe, and strengthened their existing joint degree programs in an effort to increase master’s enrollment overall. 

“The days when we could just sort of hang out a shingle and people would just show up — those days are gone,” Bobick said. “Now we have to be more intentional about attracting students.”