Ohio State University reported enrollment increases across many of its student groups and campuses this fall, but international student enrollment plummeted by double digits for the second year in a row.
The university enrolled 68,183 total students across its six campuses, about a 1.4% increase over the previous fall, according to its autumn 2026 enrollment census.
“We’re excited that so many talented students in Ohio and around the country are choosing the extraordinary educational experience that Ohio State provides,” Ohio State President Ravi Bellamkonda said in a press release. “As Buckeyes, our students have access to excellence: experiential learning, industry-connected internships, research opportunities and an immersive campus life that will
prepare them for success as professionals and leaders in their communities.”
Total enrollment on Ohio State's Columbus campus peaked at 62,010 students, up about 1% from the year prior and a new record for the university. Undergraduate enrollment on the Columbus campus also hit a record high of 47,308 students.
New first-year enrollment at the Columbus campus increased to 8,585 students, up 375 students from the previous year. Last fall, freshman enrollment dipped almost 14%. That's because Ohio State enrolled an intentionally smaller class after welcoming its largest first-year class in university history of 9,530 in 2024.
About 70% of this year's new first-year students are Ohio residents.
Regional enrollment increases in part because of new tuition-free program
Enrollment also increased at most of Ohio State's regional campuses this fall. Overall regional campus enrollment totaled 6,173 students, about a 4% increase from fall 2025. New first-year student enrollment hit 3,256, about 6% increase over last year and a 22% increase over the past two years.
The Lima, Marion and Wooster campuses all saw double-digit enrollment increase over last fall. Mansfield increased overall enrollment about 3%, and Newark saw a slight dip in enrollment of about 3%.
This fall marks the first year of Ohio State's Regional Campus Commitment program, where new first-year students whose family income is less than $100,000 and have demonstrated financial need can attend one the university's regional campuses tuition free.
Graduate student enrollment remained stable with 11,427 students. Professional student enrollment increased slightly to 3,281 students, up 1.3% from fall 2025. Enrollment in Ohio State Online also increased nearly 27% to 4,196 students.
International enrollment tumbles again
One group of students that did not see an enrollment increase, however, were international students.
Overall international student enrollment decreased nearly 13% since last year, falling from 5,996 students to 5,234 students. The number of new first-year international students saw an even sharper decline of 30%. This fall's freshman class includes 374 international students, while last year's had 536. That's down from 850 international students who enrolled in fall 2024.
International enrollment at universities in Ohio and nationwide has been on the rocks since President Donald Trump took office for his second term.
The decline followed an academic year of student visa revocations; the mandated end of diversity, equity and inclusion programming; a 19-country travel ban issued by the Trump administration, and a weeks-long pause in new student visa interviews.
Recently, the Trump administration finalized a new rule limiting foreign students to four-year stays.
Experts say that international student enrollment declines could worsen over the next few years, partly because students often face a long, multi-year process to prepare to study in the U.S.
Ohio State's typical enrollment is made up of about 10% international students. This fall, that number is nearly 8%.
Bellamkonda told The Dispatch in August that the issues of international students are personal to him. He moved to the United States from India to pursue a master's program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the mid-1990s, traveling 8,000 miles away from home for a higher education.
There are always bureaucratic hurdles for international students, Bellamkonda said, but there is "just incredible value to having international students here.
"My message to students here is that we will support your journey here. You belong here," Bellamkonda told The Dispatch. "We will do everything we can. We'll follow the law, obviously, and we respect the law. At the same time, we will be unafraid to articulate the principle that we should as a country be open to legally having the brightest minds come here and contribute to us."
Higher education reporter Sheridan Hendrix can be reached at shendrix@dispatch.com and on Signal at @sheridan.120. You can follow her on Instagram at @sheridanwrites.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State enrollment grows as international numbers plummet
