The Great Re-Routing of Global Business Talent

Overview

With changing government policies, uncertain economic slowdowns, and evolving candidate preferences, long-standing trends in the flow of international talent are being re-routed. This paper aims to identify the latest trends in international student mobility and which factors are shaping them. The first section highlights the latest in international students’ application, enrollment, and consideration patterns. The second section discusses the factors behind these trends.

Quick Facts

• For the 2025-2026 incoming class, international applications grew in Europe (excluding the U.K.) and Asia but fell in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
• Visa policy, economic changes, and geopolitics were especially common reasons why programs reported a change in their application volume in 2025.
• International candidates increasingly report that the current U.S. government has discouraged them from pursuing GME in the United States.