August 30, 2025

This summer, one international student after another told University of Central Missouri they couldn’t get a visa. Many couldn’t even get an interview! Though demand stayed high, half as many new international graduate students showed up for fall compared to last year — a big shock for the school. Central Missouri, a small public university with just a $65 million endowment, depends heavily on these students. International students usually bring in nearly a quarter of its tuition revenue. University President Roger Best said, “We aren’t able to subsidize domestic students as much when we have fewer international students who are bringing revenue to us.” This drop in international students is shaking colleges all over the US. Many schools with small endowments and lots of foreign students have almost no financial safety net. Over 100 colleges have at least 20% international enrolment but less than $250,000 endowment per student, including small Christian colleges and big universities like Northeastern and Carnegie Mellon. Experts warn the full impact won’t be clear until fall, but some predict declines up to 40%, which could hurt college budgets and even the US economy. Why the sudden drop? President Donald Trump pushed colleges to limit international students. The government made student visas tougher to get, paused new visa interviews for weeks, and even threatened deportation for some involved in activism. Recently, the Department of Homeland Security said it plans to limit how long foreign students can stay in the US. George Mason University professor Justin Gest explained the pinch: "Foreign students are not eligible for federal financial aid and often pay full price — sometimes triple the in-state rates. If an international student pays $80,000 a year, that lets colleges give more scholarships to American students." Ahmed Ahmed, a Sudanese student at the University of Rochester, almost missed the school year. When the US banned travel from Sudan and 11 other countries, even with a visa issued before the ban, Ahmed was stopped from boarding a plane in Uganda. Thanks to help from his university, he made it just in time. Ahmed said, “I feel like I made it through, but I’m one of the last people to make it through.” To survive, Central Missouri cut a cost-of-living raise for staff and delayed building upgrades. Smaller schools face even bigger troubles. Lee University in Tennessee, a Christian college with 3,500 students, expects fewer international students this fall — down from 82 to 50-60, losing vital tuition money. “Since we’re a smaller liberal arts campus, tuition cost is our main, primary revenue,” said Roy Y. Chan, Lee’s graduate studies director. All this comes at a time when colleges already battle falling domestic enrollment and pandemic struggles. Private colleges are closing at around two per month. The number of US high school graduates will shrink 13% by 2041, adding to concerns. University of California’s Dick Startz summed it up: “If you lost international student participation, it’s even worse.” The visa storm whipped up by Trump’s policies is hitting US colleges where it hurts most — in the wallet and their future.

Read More at Hindustantimes →

Tags: International students, Student visas, Trump policies, College finances, Enrollment decline,