The number of Ghanaian students arriving in the United States in August fell by more than half compared with last year, marking the steepest post-pandemic decline in academic travel from Ghana.
Data tracked JoyNews Research, based on U.S. international arrival records, shows that only 1,561 Ghanaian students entered the country this August, compared with 3,185 in the same period last year. This represents a reduction of about 1,624 students, a 50.97% drop.
The decline coincides with a series of restrictive immigration policies introduced under the Trump administration. These include delays in visa processing, travel restrictions affecting 19 countries, and heightened scrutiny of student visa applicants.
The administration has also drawn criticism for threatening to deport international students who engage in pro-Palestinian activism.
The figures capture both new students entering the U.S. for the first time and returning students resuming studies after the summer break. Historically, August arrivals have been a reliable indicator of fall semester enrollments, as most students are permitted entry only 30 days before the start of their academic programs.
Until this year, the number of Ghanaians traveling to the U.S. for studies had been on a steady climb since the easing of COVID-19 restrictions. However, this year’s sharp fall mirrors a broader slowdown across all visa categories.
The total number of arrivals from Ghana for business, pleasure, and study fell from 7,224 in August 2024 to 5,502 this year, representing a 23.84% decline.
Pleasure arrivals recorded the smallest dip, slipping from 3,748 to 3,676, a fall of 1.92%. Business arrivals slowed from 291 to 265, a decline of 8.93%.
The downward trend was not limited to Ghana. African students, who make up about 7% of all international students in the United States, also saw a significant contraction in arrivals, which dropped in August by nearly a third.
Students from Ghana and Nigeria experienced the sharpest decreases, with their arrival numbers falling by nearly half compared with last year.
The development follows new visa rules introduced in July that limited citizens of Ghana, Nigeria, Ethiopia, and Cameroon to single-entry visas valid for only three months. Typically, student visas allow multiple entries and remain valid for several years.
In September, the United States reversed these restrictions for Ghana after the government in Accra agreed to accept its nationals deported from the U.S., leading to the restoration of standard visa terms.