Trump's Trade War With China Could Squeeze U.S. Colleges Next

  • Trump administration is restricting access to student visas
  • International students are important financially for schools
Photographer: Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg
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Kirk Brennan, director of undergraduate admission at the University of Southern California, was on a bus in Baotou earlier this month, part of a multi-school recruiting trip in Inner Mongolia, when he heard the news: The Chinese Education Ministry had issued a warning to students studying in the U.S. to be vigilant about restrictions on academic visas.

It’s hard to overstate the importance of international students in general -- and Chinese students in particular -- to U.S. colleges and universities. Second only to New York University in its international student population, USC draws about 12% of its 47,000 students from China. Its 1,000 Chinese undergraduates alone could bring in more than $50 million in annual tuition revenue.