COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State University is welcoming a record-sized Columbus campus this fall, but fewer students are arriving from abroad. The university reported 68,183 students across its campuses, including a record 62,010 in Columbus. At the same time, international enrollment dropped 12.7% to 5,234 students — below the university’s enrollment during the COVID-19 pandemic and its lowest level since 2010. The number of first-year international students fell even more sharply. Ohio State said international freshman enrollment declined 30% from last year, marking a second consecutive year of substantial decreases. This fall’s incoming international class is less than half the size of the class reported two years ago and is the smallest in at least a decade. The shift follows a period in which Ohio State had been rebuilding its international population after pandemic-related travel and visa disruptions. It also coincides with changes in U.S. immigration and student-visa policy under President Donald Trump, as well as Ohio’s enactment of a law restricting diversity, equity and inclusion programs on college campuses. The available enrollment figures do not establish how much each policy contributed to the decline. China remains the most common country of origin for Ohio State’s international students, accounting for nearly half of the total. Chinese enrollment fell by more than 20% between 2025 and 2026. Ohio State President Ravi Bellamkonda said he is concerned about the trend. Bellamkonda, who came to the United States as an international student, said in May that students benefit from learning alongside people with different cultural experiences and perspectives. “Many of our students don’t get a chance to travel to see South Africa or other parts of the world,” Bellamkonda said. “And I would like them to have an exposure to cultures and modes of thought that these students represent.” The decline has implications beyond campus life. NAFSA: Association of International Educators estimates that international students contribute $1.3 billion to Ohio’s economy and support more than 39,000 jobs annually. Nationally, the Association of American Universities projects that U.S. colleges could have 112,000 fewer international students this year, potentially reducing economic activity by up to $3.4 billion and eliminating about 40,000 jobs. Ohio State’s overall first-year enrollment nonetheless increased to 8,585, up 375 students from fall 2025. The university said 70% of the incoming class are Ohio residents, and 41,203 Ohio residents are enrolled as undergraduates across the university.