Utica University confirmed that a total of 189 international students are enrolled for the Fall 2025 semester. This number includes those on Optional Practical Training plus 59 new international students, consisting of 28 undergraduates and 31 graduate students.
Among the undergraduate students are 18 incoming freshmen (three of whom are dual citizens), two ABSN nursing students and eight students studying abroad. Graduate enrollment includes students in MBA programs as well as five in Computer Science and four in Cybersecurity, according to Elizabeth Nassar, director of Academic Business Development at Utica University.
The Fall 2025 international class includes students from 18 countries, including Argentina, Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Canada, China, Ghana, India, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Nepal, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Peru, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom and Vietnam.
The graduate class represents leaders from every sector and includes nurses and doctors, business owners and IT professionals, and even a student who was on the Malaysian national cricket team.
An Oct. 6 New York Times article reported that the number of international students who arrived in the United States in August dropped 19% this year compared to last year, representing the largest decline on record excluding the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The decline is occurring as the Trump administration has delayed visa processing, instituted travel bans or restrictions for 19 countries, threatened to deport international students for pro-Palestinian speech and the heightened vetting of student visa applications,” according to the article.
Nassar said Utica University’s undergraduate enrollment was on target. In contrast, graduate enrollment was affected by a high number of visa rejections, impacting institutions across the United States.
All programs have enrollment caps and Utica continues to support international students through orientations, individual meetings and special events, Nassar said.
She added: “International enrollments are really important to the Utica University community so we are working super hard to grow both the numbers and the diversity of our student population.”
