The latest report from the Common App shows first-year applicants increasing by 5%, but international applicants dropping by 9% compared to the same time last year.
Michael Nietzel, former college president, writes on higher educationWhile applications to college for 2025-26 are up overall in this year's cycle, the number of international applicants has seen a sharp decline.
from the Common Application points to a 10% increase in total applications to college as of November 1 , compared to last year at the same time . The number of first-year applicants also rose, increasing to 962,284 students who had applied to 916 member institutions participating in the Common App, a gain of a bit more than 5% over the same time in the 2024-25 admission . Applicants were also applying to more schools in 2025-26 than in the prior year , a roughly 5% jump.Notable among these early trends was that while the number of applicants overall had grown over last year, international applicants declined substantially compared to this point in the 2024-25 application cycle. Domestic applicants grew at a steady pace , but the number of international applicants decreased by 9% . The number of applicants from Asia decreased by 9%, and applicants from Africa were down 18%. India, historically the country with the second most students applying to U.S. universities, saw a 14% drop. China, which has the most applicants to U.S. colleges, saw only a 1% decline. The decline in international applicants was not unexpected, given the widely reported actions taken by the Trump administration that have targeted international students as well as international workers seeking H-1B visas. Nonetheless, the decline was unique, with the number of applicants from other major demographic groups all showing increases.Black or African American applicants and applicants identifying as Two or More Races grew at the fastest rates, outpacing the growth rates of Latino , Asian and white applicants. Applicants identifying as what the Common App classifies as underrepresented minority race/ethnicity increased by 10% in 2025–26, twice the rate of non-URM students.Applicants identifying as first-generation students grew by 12% compared to this point during 2024-25, while continuing-generation applicants increased by only 2%. Growth was also faster for lower-income students, whether that status was classified by eligibility for a Common App fee waiver or by whether applicants came from below-median income ZIP codes compared to above-median peers .Compared to this point during the 2024-25 application cycle, applicants from rural areas grew by 15% compared to only 6% for applicants from metropolitan areas. Nonetheless, the vast majority of applicants using the Common App come from Metropolitan areas.The Southwestern region grew at nearly twice the rate of the next fastest-growing region, driven by a 15% gain in applicants from Texas, the state with the greatest number of applicants using the Common App.The number of applicants reporting a score on a standardized admission test increased by 11% compared to this time during the 2024-25 application cycle, while the number of applicants who did not report a test score decreased by 1%. First-generation applicants, applicants identifying as URM, and those eligible for a Common App fee waiver were less likely to report a test score.Applicant growth was lowest among applications to the most selective institutions . Applications to public and private colleges increased at equivalent 10% rates.The current increases in applicants and applications should be interpreted cautiously, particularly when extrapolating to what the total volume might look like by the end of the admission cycle. The early growth in applicants may not translate into an overall, eventual gain, but instead signal an ongoing trend for students to apply earlier in the cycle than in past years. In addition, not all institutions participate in the Common App. For example, community college have historically not been included, but the organization is welcoming a small cohort of community colleges this year. The current report is the first in a series of monthly Common App updates on the progress of applications for this admission cycle, allowing year-to-year comparisons through next March.
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