Trump's reshaping of higher education tests America's appeal for
international students
[May 12, 2025]
By ANNIE MA, MAKIYA SEMINERA and JOCELYN GECKER
As he finishes college in China, computer science student Ma Tianyu has
set his sights on graduate school in the United States. No country
offers better programs for the career he wants as a game developer, he
said.
He applied only to U.S. schools and was accepted by some. But after the
initial excitement, he began seeing reasons for doubt.
First, there was President Donald Trump's trade war with China. Then,
China's Ministry of Education issued a warning about studying in
America. When he saw the wave of legal status terminations for
international students in the U.S., he realized he needed to consider
how American politics could affect him.
The recent developments soured some of his classmates on studying in the
U.S., but he plans to come anyway. He is ready “to adapt to whatever
changes may come," he said.
American universities, home to many programs at the top of their fields,
have long appealed to students around the world hoping to pursue
research and get a foothold in the U.S. job market. The durability of
that demand faces a test under the Trump administration, which has taken
actions that have left international students feeling vulnerable and
considering alternate places to study.
“All of the Trump administration's activities have been sending a
message that international students are not welcome in the U.S.,” said
Clay Harmon, executive director of AIRC, a professional association for
international enrollment managers at colleges.
Competitors see an opening to carve into US dominance
Around 1.1 million international students were in the U.S. last year. A
large decline in their ranks could cripple school budgets that rely on
tuition from foreign students, who are ineligible for federal student
aid and often pay full price to attend.
It's too early to quantify any impact from the administration's
crackdown, which has included new scrutiny of student visas and efforts
to deport foreign students for involvement in pro-Palestinian activism.
But many fear the worst.
“Students and their families expect and need certainty,” said Fanta Aw,
executive director and CEO of NAFSA, an association of international
educators. “And they do not function well in a volatile environment like
the one we have currently.”
The U.S. has been rebounding from a decline in international enrollment
that was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. As top competitors such
as Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom rolled back recruiting
efforts and made immigration policies less welcoming, the U.S. appeared
ready to bring in far more students.
Now, a few months into the Trump administration, industry experts say
it's unlikely the U.S. will be able to capitalize.
“The U.S. was so perfectly positioned to become the far and away, clear
first-choice destination for international students,” said Mike Henniger,
CEO of Illume Student Advisory Services. His company works with colleges
in the U.S., Canada and Europe to recruit international students. "Then
it just went out the door."
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In Canada, where colleges saw enrollment increases during the first
Trump administration, they are hoping for another bounce. In a
letter following the recent election, a member organization for
Canadian universities urged the new Liberal government to address
immigration policies that have affected recruitment of foreign
students.
“This is a moment of real opportunity for the country to attract
international talent,” said Gabriel Miller, president of
Universities Canada.
America's appeal as a place to start a career remains resilient
The U.S. holds strong appeal for students prioritizing career
outcomes, in part because of the “optional practical training”
program, which allows foreign students to stay on their student
visas and work for up to three years, said Lindsey López of
ApplyBoard, an application platform for students seeking to study
abroad.
Graduates earning this post-college work experience were among the
foreigners whose legal status or visas were terminated this spring.
Still, the diversity and size of the U.S. job market could help
American schools stay ahead of the competition, López said.
“The U.S. is the largest economy in the world,” she said. “It’s just
the vastness and also the economic diversity that we have in the
U.S., with a whole variety of different industries, both public and
private, for students to choose from.”
William Paterson University, a public institution of 10,000 students
in New Jersey, typically has around 250 international students. It
expects an increase in foreign students in the fall, according to
George Kacenga, vice president for enrollment management. The school
has focused on designing programs around STEM majors, which appeal
to international students because they open access to OPT programs.
Students have expressed concern about securing visas, but most of
the school’s international students are from India and report they
are getting appointments, he said.
In Shanghai, many students in Austin Ward’s 12th grade class have
either committed to attending U.S. colleges or are considering it.
Ward teaches literature in a high school program offering an
American Common Core curriculum for Chinese students.
Ward said he avoids discussing politics with his students, but some
have asked him about the U.S. government's termination of students'
legal statuses, signaling their concern about going to the U.S.
To Ward’s knowledge, the students who planned to attend American
colleges have not changed their minds. Frustrated with the stress
the situation has caused, Ward said he wrote a letter to his U.S.
representative on the need to protect international students.
His students are coming to America to “expand their horizons,” he
said, not threaten the country.
“If my students have to worry about that, and if students are losing
their visas, then America is not going to have that strength of
being an academic center,” he said.
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