Travel bans and new student visa screening processes have provided new challenges to international students hoping to study in the U.S., leading many schools to see decreased enrollment from abroad. A mid-August analysis by NAFSA: Association of International Educators, predicted international student enrollment this fall may be 30 or 40 percent lower than previous years. However, Oberlin appears to be bucking the trend. The number of students joining Oberlin’s newest class from abroad is roughly the same as in previous cohorts. 

Associate Dean for Intercultural Engagement Josh Whitson said 104 incoming students attended the international orientation at the start of the semester, seven more than last year. Numbers released by Vice President and Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid Manuel Carballo show 56 international students enrolled in the College of Arts & Sciences (double-degree students are counted in this figure, but Conservatory students are not). This number is three fewer than last year, but above the five-year average. Carballo also said the College’s yield rate, which describes the percent of admitted students who enroll, was 17 percent for international students in the 2025 admission cycle. Yield rates in the past five years ranged from 17 to 20 percent.

Still, Whitson and Carballo said some students experienced struggles in getting to Oberlin. 

Carballo said four students were unable to enroll because they came from countries that were subject to the administration’s June travel ban. These banned countries include Afghanistan, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Myanmar, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. Additionally, the administration majorly restricted entrance to residents from seven other countries.

Last May, the Trump administration paused all student visa interviews for three weeks to expand their screening process. When interviews resumed in June, the newly introduced policy of social media vetting also slowed down visa applications by one to two weeks, according to Whitson. These extended wait times may have discouraged many potential students.

“It’s hard to quantify, but there are a number of students that deferred, and it’s possible they would’ve gotten visas if it wasn’t for [the extended wait],” Whitson said.

Whitson also said around five students arrived late to campus because of delays in their visa applications but were able to make it to Oberlin before the end of the Add/Drop period.

President Carmen Twillie Ambar said that the College coordinated with its U.S. congressional delegation, all of whom are Republicans, to resolve visa issues that students were experiencing.

“[Oberlin’s congressional delegation was] very helpful …  in making sure that our international students could come to campus,” she said. “If you followed the news, remember, there was this visa slowdown when there were fewer students entering the country. We worked with our congressional delegation to help us through that. Not all students made it to campus … But we probably had about 15 or 20 students who had varied levels of challenges trying to get visa arrangements and it helped us get lots of those students through.”

Even with some would-be students unable to enroll or choosing not to go, Oberlin’s international enrollment grew. Whitson said Oberlin’s longstanding reputation and prestigious conservatory softened the impact of these barriers.

“I think Oberlin’s reputation helps a lot,” Whitson said. “There are a lot of schools in the United States you could go to, and Oberlin is a known quantity: a historical institution that’s been around for a long time. … Second thing is, I think having a conservatory is very helpful as well, just because students have typically chosen that path at a very young age or their parents chose that path for them, and there are a limited number of elite music schools around the world.”

Whitson said the Office of International Student and Scholar Services is working to keep international students informed of any changes that might impact them and address their concerns about visa regulations.

“I’ve been doing this since 2012, so … depending on what’s going on in the news, concerns expressed about these topics from international students tend to ebb and flow,” Whitson said. “What I always try to tell the students is we’ll keep them informed … I also make sure to reach out to any affected populations any time there is a change. But I also caution that we shouldn’t spiral, for lack of a better word, and start speculating on what’s going to happen.”

Carballo said Admissions was also working to address incoming students’ concerns.

“The international admissions team has been in regular contact with families throughout the process, in many cases working alongside the International Student and Scholar Services staff,” he wrote in an email to the Review. “Most concerns were addressed on an individual basis. The strength of our thriving international student community, with more than 50 countries represented, served as a counterweight to more general concerns related to studying in the U.S.”

Carballo said the office would continue to stress what Oberlin has to offer for students from across the globe.

“It will be important to further develop the ways in which we share the stories of our current international students and the many ways they thrive at Oberlin, and to expand international awareness of how safe and inclusive Oberlin’s community is,” he wrote.