California State University (CSU) has seen a significant increase in student enrollment for the second consecutive year, with 471,451 students enrolled for the fall 2025 semester. This represents a 2% growth from last year's total of 461,612 students. While this trend is encouraging, international student enrollment has taken a hit, dropping by 7.8% to 13,718 students.
This decline in international student enrollment comes as no surprise, given the current challenges faced by colleges and universities across the nation due to the Trump administration's crackdown on immigration. The U.S. State Department has revoked over 6,000 international student visas since March, and applicants are now required to make their social media profiles public for security checks.
The impact of this policy change is being felt nationwide, with new international student enrollment plummeting by 17% at colleges and universities across the country. In California, 19 out of 22 CSU campuses saw increased fall enrollment, while three campuses experienced declines. San Jose State University led the charge with a 6.5% increase in student enrollment.
Despite this decline in international students, graduate student and transfer student enrollment are on the rise. Cal State University has seen a nearly 3% increase in new graduate students, bringing the total number of enrolled graduate students to 54,920. Transfer students have also increased by 1.8%, with over 53,216 students enrolled across the university system.
The recent data comes as CSU prepares to implement a systemwide direct admissions program. The program will automatically admit California students to 16 CSU campuses if they meet academic requirements. This is expected to be a major boost for the university system, which currently faces a $2.3 billion budget deficit.
While there are many reasons to be optimistic about the future of Cal State University, it remains to be seen whether these efforts will be enough to reverse the decline in international student enrollment. One thing is certain, however - the university's commitment to expanding opportunity for California students and building the state's future workforce is unwavering.
This decline in international student enrollment comes as no surprise, given the current challenges faced by colleges and universities across the nation due to the Trump administration's crackdown on immigration. The U.S. State Department has revoked over 6,000 international student visas since March, and applicants are now required to make their social media profiles public for security checks.
The impact of this policy change is being felt nationwide, with new international student enrollment plummeting by 17% at colleges and universities across the country. In California, 19 out of 22 CSU campuses saw increased fall enrollment, while three campuses experienced declines. San Jose State University led the charge with a 6.5% increase in student enrollment.
Despite this decline in international students, graduate student and transfer student enrollment are on the rise. Cal State University has seen a nearly 3% increase in new graduate students, bringing the total number of enrolled graduate students to 54,920. Transfer students have also increased by 1.8%, with over 53,216 students enrolled across the university system.
The recent data comes as CSU prepares to implement a systemwide direct admissions program. The program will automatically admit California students to 16 CSU campuses if they meet academic requirements. This is expected to be a major boost for the university system, which currently faces a $2.3 billion budget deficit.
While there are many reasons to be optimistic about the future of Cal State University, it remains to be seen whether these efforts will be enough to reverse the decline in international student enrollment. One thing is certain, however - the university's commitment to expanding opportunity for California students and building the state's future workforce is unwavering.
"The biggest risk is not taking any risk..." – Mark Zuckerberg. This policy change by the Trump administration is having a major impact on CSU's international student enrollment, and it's only natural that new policies would come with risks. The university's commitment to California students, however, gives me hope for their future. With direct admissions programs like this, they might just be able to bridge the gap between domestic and international students 
️ I'm low-key worried about all them international students 
. They're getting it hard due to visa issues 
. It's like, they come here for edumacation 
and stuff but now it's too hard 
. CSU is trying to help tho 
with direct admissions and all 
. But I hope they can get those international students back in 
. The future of Cal State is at stake 
! We need diversity in edu 
. More needs to be done 
international students were already struggling with the whole covid thing, now they gotta deal with this too... and csu is still doing what they can, at least trying to boost california born students' enrollment 
those new grad and transfer student numbers are actually kinda sweet, shows they're thinking outside the box 
but yeah, the budget deficit is a big worry 
hopefully these direct admissions programs will help shake things up
! On one hand, 2% growth is def a positive vibe 
? Not cool at all 
. I mean, what's the deal with these visa revocations and social media checks 
. On the flip side, graduate & transfer student enrollment is on the rise 
! That Cal State systemwide direct admissions program sounds like a game-changer 
. Can't wait to see how this plays out 
I guess we'll have to wait and see how things play out... 
. And can they please just use a consistent font throughout the whole thing? It's like, I get that they're using some fancy new software or whatever, but it's still super annoying to have to scroll through all these different font styles.
.
. And on the flip side, it's cool to see that there are still some opportunities available for Cal students. Fingers crossed that their new direct admissions program works out okay 
.
. It's like when you're trying to connect with someone new, but they're having a hard time trusting you because of past experiences 
. As students, we need to recognize that our education system should be inclusive, not exclusive 
. The CSU's direct admissions program is a great initiative, and it shows that they're committed to supporting California students 
. We can all learn from this by being more open-minded and welcoming to others, especially those who are different from us 
. I mean, who doesn't love learning from all over the world? It's like a global melting pot of ideas! But I guess it's no surprise given what's been going down with immigration policies 
. A direct admissions program is a great idea - it'll definitely help level the playing field for those who might not have access to top-tier schools otherwise 
. Now if we could just get more funding for those graduate programs... 
! I'm all about Cal State's new direct admissions program - it's gonna be SO helpful for California students who wanna attend these campuses. And let's be real, $2.3 billion budget deficit ain't nobody's problem 
... CSU's all about building that future workforce and expanding opportunity 
. But at the same time, its great to see that our local students are thriving and taking advantage of all the programs available 
But seriously, these numbers do show that there are still challenges ahead for CSU. They gotta figure out how to balance those budget woes with finding new ways to keep Cali students at home 
