Experts say President Donald Trump’s higher education and immigration policies have exacerbated an already declining graduate enrollment at GW, driven by a sharp drop in international students and ongoing concerns about the cost of attendance in recent years.

Graduate enrollment fell 6 percent from the 2024-25 academic year, reaching a record low of 12,936 students in 2025 — the largest single-year decline since graduate enrollment began dropping from 15,821 students in 2017. Eight higher education enrollment experts said concerns about the return on investment of advanced degrees and changing visa policies for international students likely contributed to the graduate enrollment decline in recent years, and Trump-era policies, like cuts to graduate funding options in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, will drive further drops in the coming years.