Hyderabad: With close to 70% of Indian students unable to secure admissions for the fall 2025 intake — courtesy tighter visa norms and higher costs — many US universities are reporting nearly-empty classrooms this semester. Immigration consultants and US academics TOI spoke to said that this disruption has prompted universities to explore new measures, including mid-year intakes.Some are also lobbying with the authorities for additional visa slots.“This is the first time we are seriously considering a mid-year admission window,” said a university representative from Missouri, sharing how a few other varsities too are mulling a special Oct intake to ease the backlog. “We don’t want talented students to lose an entire academic year. At the same time, our campuses are feeling the void due to the absence of hundreds of international students who typically bring diversity and vitality to our classrooms,” the representative added.Others shared how Indian students make up the majority on the campus, followed by students from China. “Indians comprise as much as 40% of the total international students on campus. We were in discussions with authorities about easing visa availability, but nothing fruitful came of it. Now we are contemplating talking to the authorities to see if some slots can be opened later this year,” said another representative from a university in Memphis.Those eyeing spring 2026 also worriedImmigration consultants said that despite deferring their admission, the recent fee hike has left many students stranded, despite securing admission letters. “There is immense pressure on students and their families,” said Sahas Yuvaraj from Way2Abroad Consulting. “We’ve had cases where students cleared all academic requirements but couldn’t get visa slots. Now, even those who deferred admissions to spring 2026 are also worried because of the recent H1B fee hike.“In a recent order, the US govt raised the H1B visa application fee, pushing the total cost of pursuing studies and eventual work in the US to above $100,000 (Rs 88.6 lakh approx.). For many fresh graduates, this overshoots their expected first-year salaries, adding to their anxiety.“I deferred my admission to Jan hoping the situation would stabilise, but this H1B hike has left me at a crossroads,” said a 23-year-old engineering graduate from Hyderabad, who was planning to pursue a master’s in data science from Texas. “My family has already spent a lot on applications and deposits. Now I’m not sure if going to the US will ever pay off,” he added.In the meantime, many consultants are advising students to explore alternative destinations such as Canada, Australia, Germany and France, where visa processing remains comparatively smoother. “We are actively advising our students to explore these alternatives. In fact, Germany and France have seen a massive uptick in the last few months,” said Arvind Manduva from I20 Fever, an education consultancy in the city.
