How ApplyBoard is Helping American Institutions Transform Their International Enrollment

American postsecondary education has an established history of high-demand from international students all around the world. The US has consistently ranked as the top study abroad destination based on international student populations for at least the past decade,¹ and the US was the most resilient of the ‘Big Four’ English-speaking study destinations in 2024.

At the same time, students have access to a growing range of potential destinations, and considerations such as affordability are increasingly influencing student decisions. This means that for US institutions, it’s more vital than ever to leverage technological innovation and adapt to shifting student preferences, global regulation frameworks, and evolving student flows in order to remain ahead of the competition.

Working with a technology-driven partner with global reach like ApplyBoard helps ensure institutions can stay in front of these trends. That’s why we’re diving into our internal data, taking a closer look at how student behaviour toward the US has shifted on the ApplyBoard platform in recent years. We’ll also explore how ApplyBoard is helping US institutions expand their on-campus diversity and reach their recruitment goals.

ApplyBoard Students Show Rising Interest in Studying in the US

Since launching the US as our second destination, each year has brought rising student interest in studying in the United States. Especially over the past 18 months, when policy changes and considerations weakened student demand towards Canada, the UK, and Australia, prospective students have turned their attention towards American institutions and programs:

In 2023, around 10% of destination country searches on the ApplyBoard platform focused on the US. However, since Q1 2024—and in every new quarter since—platform searches for US programs have increased substantially, surpassing 25% over the first three months of 2025. This climbing rate demonstrates that many students are actively considering applying to American colleges and universities through ApplyBoard.

Persistent, strong interest in American post-secondary studies shows that opportunities remain for the US international education sector to maintain stability, or even grow, in 2025. Although F-1 visa issued rates fell from 64% in the 2023 fiscal year to 59% in fiscal year 2024, the total number of new F-1 visas issued still surpassed 400,000 last year. In fact, 10 of the US’ top 20 largest incoming student populations by visa issuance grew in fiscal year 2024, helping the US achieve relative student inflow stability compared to other Big Four study destinations.

STEM Fields Account for Majority of US Destination Searches

One of the main reasons the US has achieved this stability? Rising global student interest in STEM programs. As students increasingly align their program choices with in-demand career opportunities, the US’ well-established STEM opportunities, including extended OPT durations, garners popularity with students from around the world:

When we looked at 2024 ApplyBoard platform trends towards major destinations earlier this year, we noted that health fields and social-related fields had claimed some student interest away from engineering and technology. However, over the first four months of 2025, we’ve seen student searches flow back toward engineering and technology while health searches continue to grow. Notably, these shifts are largely occurring within STEM designations. Although there has been a minor increase in searches for art programs in early 2025, we don’t expect this trend to persist across the full year.

Student interest alignment with STEM in the US has been one of the key drivers of international student population growth in recent years. Over 70% of students from India, Iran, Bangladesh, and Nepal studying in the US pursued STEM opportunities during the 2023/24 academic year.

Affordability Increasingly Important for Students Considering US Studies

While prospective student interest in American STEM programs has driven much of the sector’s growth over the last four years, other major influences for students have shifted. 77% of respondents to our Spring 2025 Student Pulse Survey noted that affordability affected their study abroad plans.

This same trend has been reflected across US-focused searches on our ApplyBoard platform over the past year and a half:

Over the past 18 months, our internal data has shown a marked increase in the number of students looking for cost-effective study options. The number of students willing to consider programs with annual tuition in excess of US$30,000 dropped from 51% in fall 2023 to just 12% through the first three months of 2025.

This shift reinforces the need for collaboration throughout the US international education ecosystem in promoting and communicating what makes studying in the US unique. From flexible study options and cutting-edge research opportunities to strong post-study work pathways, many critical draws exist for international students. Demonstrating the positive impacts and outcomes from studying in the US, especially in securing a rewarding career after graduation, can help students understand how their investment in their education will set them up for life-long success.

How US Institutions Can Improve Conversion Rates and Maximize Diversity with ApplyBoard

Amidst shifting student trends, working with an established partner like ApplyBoard can help ensure your institution achieves its international enrollment goals while maintaining and enhancing student diversity. Key to these efforts is ensuring your institution is working with a partner that helps strengthen and verify student applications.

Since 2021, two out of every three ApplyBoard students have been approved when applying for their F-1 student visa. Although F-1 visa issuance rates are only available as an average for all international students,³ ApplyBoard students from many of the top US source countries have achieved higher issuance rates than the all-student average (64%). For instance, F-1 visa issuance rates for Indian and Vietnamese students applying through ApplyBoard surpassed the all-applicant average by 5 and 24 percentage points, respectively.

As a result, ApplyBoard F-1 visa issuance growth rates have surpassed the all-student average every year for the last three years. Additionally, over that same period, ApplyBoard has helped recruitment partners and students in over 100 countries apply for programs at US partner institutions:

What is Driving Growth for ApplyBoard’s US Partner Schools?

Throughout the last decade, ApplyBoard has worked to strengthen the education sector, our institutional partners, and our communities. These efforts have positively impacted our students across all our destination markets, including the US.

To improve student and institution outcomes, we’ve launched new products and implemented detailed processes to enhance transparency, integrity, and technological innovation throughout the student application journey, including:

• AI-Powered Program Matching: Our platform tailors program recommendations to each applicant’s academic journey, using their student profile, preferences, and career goals to provide success prediction scores for their applications.
• Application Pre-Screening: Our pre-screening process maximizes conversion success through ensuring applications are complete, legible, and free of potential red flags. This ensures that admissions teams can spend time reviewing only strong and complete applications, streamlining the admissions process. In fact, only one in every two applications submitted to ApplyBoard are passed on to institutions.
• Recruitment Partner Training and Vetting: ApplyBoard provides training and up-to-date information on institution programs, application requirements, intake data, and scholarship opportunities to our recruitment partners all on one platform. We also rigorously vet and monitor recruitment partners for adherence to strict quality controls, including response times, conversion rates, and student satisfaction.

Combined, these efforts result in many ApplyBoard students putting forth stronger F-1 visa applications. ApplyBoard students are better equipped to connect their specific program and institution choices to in-demand careers, and they are more likely to submit complete, high-quality applications, enhancing their approval rates.

By partnering with ApplyBoard, your institution can help alleviate the pressures of increased conversion and maintain diverse, vibrant, and stable student populations. With tailored program pages, AI-powered student recommendations, and offer-ready application submissions, ApplyBoard reduces the resources needed to administrate your international student program while ensuring student applicants are more likely to enroll.

ApplyBoard Can Help Your Institution Grow and Thrive

The next two years present new opportunities and challenges for American institutions aiming to maintain and grow their international student populations. Further declines in F-1 visa approval rates could soften student interest or limit student inflows, even if student demand remains high. Any potential policy changes, beyond recent changes to ICE’s authority concerning student visa status, could also impact student mobility towards the US, even as caps in countries like Canada and Australia have helped buoy interest towards American institutions.

Yet the US retains some key advantages that may help the sector maintain stability, or even grow, in 2025 and beyond. The US’ CPT and OPT programs offer competitive work opportunities, both during and after study programs, and STEM-aligned students remain highly interested in CPT and OPT. American institutions are also world-renowned for their quality and well-regarded by employers in many countries. For students looking to start or elevate their careers, a degree from a US institution can help fast-track their post-study success.

Amplifying and communicating these benefits to international students is key for the long-term growth and stability of the US’ international education landscape. Although the US is likely to retain its place as the top destination for international students in the years to come, students are more willing to consider alternative destinations than ever before. ApplyBoard’s proven track record as a sector leader in agent training and document verification can help American institutions remain efficient and agile, increasing conversion likelihood from diverse student populations.

For data-backed guidance on how you can maximize conversion rates, please reach out to your Partner Relations Manager, or contact ApplyBoard’s Partner Relations team at schoolpartnerships@applyboard.com.

About the ApplyInsights Team

FOOTNOTES:

1. Based on IIE Project Atlas data spanning from 2013 to 2024..

2. All data in this article is sourced from ApplyBoard platform data, unless otherwise noted.

3. The US Department of State exclusively provides fiscal year-end summary reports that state the total F-1 visa issuance rate for all international students over the relevant twelve month period. This means that specific per-country issuance data is not available.