With a record number of international students in the U.S., Trump brings uncertainty

The 2023-24 school year saw more international students in the United States than ever before — setting a new record largely driven by graduate students and recent graduates in internship-type programs.

Over 1.1 million international students were in the U.S. during the last academic year, according to a survey of nearly 3,000 colleges and universities by the Institute of International Education (IIE) and sponsored by the U.S. State Department.

The new figures mark a full rebound from the start of the pandemic, when international enrollment dropped by 15%. But experts say those increases could once again be threatened under the incoming Trump administration, which upended the lives of many international students and workers in its first term.

Already, a few schools have recommended that their international students traveling overseas for winter break consider returning to the U.S. before President-elect Trump takes office on Jan. 20. That includes the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Wesleyan University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

International students have made up around 5% of all college and university students in recent years. In the last school year, they injected about $44 billion into the U.S. economy, while also supporting about 378,000 jobs across the country, according to the group NAFSA: Association of International Educators.

Mirka Martel, who led the IIE survey, said while there is uncertainty, historically there has been bipartisan support to continue to welcome international students.

“We’ve seen numbers go up and down in the past, but overall, we’ve seen that there has been support, because of how much international students bring through economy and through culture to our states,” she said.

For the first time in 15 years, Indian students outnumber Chinese students

The new record in international students is largely fueled by graduate students and those in the Optional Practical Training (OPT) program, which allows foreign students to briefly work in the U.S. after completing their studies.

While the number of undergraduate students stayed about the same compared to the previous year, the graduate cohort and OPT program grew by about 8% and 22% respectively — reaching historic highs.

Meanwhile, India and China together accounted for over half of all international students in the U.S., according to the IIE. But for the first time since 2009, more students came from India than China, with over 331,000 students from India present during the 2023-24 school year.

The number of international Indian students has been rising since 2021, in particular due to an increase in the number of Indian graduate students coming to the U.S. Meanwhile, the number of international Chinese students has been waning since the pandemic. But China remains the top-sending country for undergraduates, with 87,000 students.

“What we’re seeing is that the number of undergraduate students in some countries has been taking longer to rebound than the graduate numbers,” Martel from IIE said.

California, New York and Texas continue to be the most popular states for international students, but Missouri saw the biggest growth last school year, followed by Michigan and Illinois. STEM fields remained a favorite, drawing over half of all international students.

Trump imposed restrictions affecting some international students in his first term

Before Trump took office in 2017, the number of newly arrived international students in the U.S. had been rising for nearly a decade. During his first term, those numbers fell every year. But experts say international enrollment has fluctuated throughout the years, making it difficult to pinpoint the exact cause for the change in numbers.

One of Trump’s first initiatives upon taking office in 2017 was ordering a travel ban for nearly all travelers from several majority-Muslim countries. It was challenged in courts, but led to students being detained at airports or forced to return to their home countries. (It was later reversed by President Biden on his first day in office.)

Students from China also faced heightened scrutiny when it came to their visas amid an increase in U.S.-China tensions. That meant extra screenings, shorter stays, or even cancellations for at least hundreds of students.

And in 2020, the Trump administration temporarily barred international college students from being in the U.S. if their classes were entirely online. The move was met with swift backlash and quickly reversed.

Students and schools remain wary of incoming Trump administration

During this year’s presidential campaign, Trump said it was important to retain international student talent. “What I will do is, you graduate from a college, I think you should get automatically, as part of your diploma, a green card to be able to stay in this country,” he told the All-In Podcast in June.

But some schools and international students in the U.S. have remained wary of the incoming Trump administration, given the president-elect’s first term.

At the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Yewon You from South Korea and Rachel Syuen from Malaysia told NPR they felt a lot of uncertainty going into the new presidency. Both are in the U.S. as participants in the Sony Music Group Global Scholars scholarship program.

You, who is a senior, said she has been closely monitoring the news on visas, foreign workers and immigration. She added that she adjusted her winter break plans to return to the U.S. before the inauguration as a precaution.

You’s biggest concern is about securing a job in the U.S. after college. Her big dream is to work in Hollywood and produce film scores, specifically for sci-fi movies. But she knows it can be difficult to obtain a work visa, and that visa policies change frequently.

“I’m a senior and with a new president, there’s overlap on the pressure and uncertainty in finding a job after I graduate,” You said.

Syuen, also a senior, was initially excited by Trump’s promise of green cards for international students, but now questions if he will follow through due to a lack of details. Syuen said opportunities to study music in Malaysia were limited. She hopes to stay in the U.S. to produce music that blends her experiences, like incorporating traditional Chinese instruments into pop.

“I am equally nervous about everything, but I am also doing my part just to be a better version of myself each and every single day so that I remain competitive,” Syuen said.