Trump’s War on Student Visas Raises Election Stakes for Colleges
- Foreign students provide financial boost to many U.S. schools
- Their enrollment is slumping amid pandemic and tough proposals
Every year, students from around the world pump about $40 billion into U.S. colleges and their home towns -- akin to spending Harvard University’s massive endowment -- while helping subsidize the cost of education for Americans nationwide.
But now the annual infusion is shrinking: Enrollment of freshmen from abroad is down 14% this fall, a drop set off by the coronavirus pandemic and spurred on by an onslaught of Trump administration proposals. Whether that money rebounds will heavily depend on next week’s election.
Colleges and universities have been sounding alarms in the final months of the presidential contest between Donald Trump and Joe Biden, pushing back on the government’s recent proposal to limit how long foreign students can stay. That move followed a threat over the summer to deport international students who attend classes online, as well as suggestions by administration officials to limit students from specific countries including China.
“This is part of a pattern,” Brad Farnsworth, vice president of trade group the American Council on Education, said of moves to discourage international students. “It’s a cumulative impact.”