Local colleges see fewer international students as fall quarter begins

EVERETT — Local community colleges saw significant declines in new international student enrollment as the fall quarter began Monday.

At Edmonds College, new international student enrollment decreased by 25%, spokesperson Karen Magarelli said Wednesday. Edmonds College is in the Top 20 community colleges in the nation with the highest number of international students, according to the 2024 Open Doors Report.

The decrease in new international student applications appears to stem from difficulties getting visa appointments, Edmonds College President Amit Singh said in an interview Thursday. This summer, the Trump administration stopped scheduling new visa appointments for about two months while the State Department looked into expanding social media screenings.

“People did not get a visa appointment in time to come for the fall quarter,” Singh said. “They might get the visa appointment now, but they’ll have to postpone and they may come back in the future.”

Last year, international students made up about 5% of Edmonds College’s population, Singh said, which was already down from about 8% to 10% before the COVID-19 pandemic. This year, the college was anticipating about a $500,000 impact from the decline in enrollment, Singh said, but it could make up for the loss if more international students enroll in the winter or spring quarters. In the meantime, the college is continuing to fund travel to recruit international students, he said.

“I stay optimistic because I’m from India originally, and I know what this country has to offer, all the opportunities,” Singh said. “So if we kind of ignore some of the noise, in the end I think this is still one of the best countries to come and study and work. That’s my experience.”

Everett Community College saw a 19% decrease in the number of enrolled international students, said Sonel Shropshire, associate vice president of equity and social justice, in a statement Wednesday. The decrease is lower than what colleges are seeing nationwide, he said. In a Fall 2025 report, the Association of International Educators estimated a 30% to 40% decline in international student enrollment across the country.

“Changes in visa regulations, heightened security screenings, and shifting immigration policies have created uncertainty for prospective international students,” Shropshire said in a Sept. 12 statement, before fall classes began. “However, our plan at EvCC is to become more innovative in our approach to global engagement by building direct relationships with international universities who may become feeder programs and continue development of our online certificate courses.”

Other community colleges in the Seattle area have faced similar declines, including Bellevue College and Shoreline Community College, KUOW reported earlier this month.

Jenna Peterson: 425-339-3486; jenna.peterson@heraldnet.com; X: @jennarpetersonn.