In 2021, AJ Jondonero came to the United States from the Philippines to pursue a Master of Science in journalism at Columbia University. He graduated with honors in video newsroom production, and was accepted to an Optional Practical Training program (OPT) — a kind of internship that enables students from abroad to work in the U.S. for a limited time — at Pix 11 television. Eventually, he moved to the U.K. on a Global Talent visa, and then back to Manila for a high-paying job as a media production manager.
Jondonero is interested in adding another advanced degree to his credentials, he says. But, he is among the many international students who are reconsidering studying in the U.S. because of the Trump administration’s hardline stance on immigration within higher ed institutions.
“I was eyeing to pursue maybe a different degree, a JD or PhD in the U.S. but definitely not doing that soon,” Jondonero said earlier this month, “just because I can’t put myself in that position where I’m not sure if I’m gonna get jailed or something.”
Between late March and April, at least 1,800 international students lost their legal status in the U.S, according to Inside Higher Ed. The Trump administration accused some of the students of anti-Semitism due to their participation in protests against the war in Gaza. Many other students lost their legal status when their immigration records were linked to an FBI database tracking law enforcement encounters, including minor infractions. One student was cited for driving too slowly; some for traffic tickets; others had no idea why they were targeted. Hundreds of international students filed lawsuits. Ultimately, after losing multiple court cases, the Trump administration reinstated the legal status of more than 5,000 students.
But this month federal authorities renewed their enforcement against international students. Yesterday Secretary of State Marco Rubio ordered U.S. embassies worldwide to stop scheduling interviews for student visas as the Trump administration weighs stricter vetting of applicants’ social-media profiles. Last week, the Trump administration also halted Harvard’s ability to enroll international students — a move which a judge has temporarily blocked, with a hearing on the case set for May 29. The Trump administration, earlier this month, also threatened students in the OPT program with deportation if they failed to report employment status, and revived plans to revoke visas of international college students and faculty across the U.S., according to a Fordham University email that Documented obtained. The email said while SEVIS records would remain active — meaning students can legally stay and work — a revoked visa prevents reentry into the U.S. if they travel outside the country.
Jondonero, like other prospective international students, said he would “probably choose another country” if he were to pursue a degree right now. But it is not just the policy shifts that make him hesitant. Jondonero said he is concerned about the long-term economic impact of the Trump administration’s policies. “The one thing that draws me to the U.S. is because the jobs pay well,” said Jondonero. “There’s no guarantee that the economy will still be the same after the administration is over.”
Universities in the U.S. also stand to lose tuition dollars if international students choose to stay away. They often pay higher tuition than their domestic peers, sometimes twice as much.
“That’s gonna impact not just those institutions but the economics of those institutions,” said Anthony Capote, a senior data and policy analyst at the Immigration Research Initiative.
Many private colleges stayed silent when the U.S. government suddenly revoked some of their international students’ visas, possibly wary of scaring off future applicants whose tuition they would rely on to subsidize domestic students’ costs.
Also Read: Tracking 1,200 Student Visa Revocations: One Higher-Ed Reporter’s Mission to Understand the Trends
New York enrolled 126,800 international students in the 2023 academic year, — second only to California — and they contributed $5.8 billion to the state’s economy, according to the Institute of International Education. The Institute said NYU and Columbia University ranked first and third for international student enrollment nationwide.
Across the U.S., international students contributed $43.8 billion, according to a 2024 report by NAFSA: Association of International Educators.
And those students create new jobs in the American economy, not take them away, per NAFSA’s findings. The nonprofit found that “for every three international students in the U.S., one American job is created or supported.” International students supported more than 378,000 jobs during the 2023-2024 academic year.
“So imagine losing thousands, if not tens of thousands of workers in industries like tech and finance that really are drivers of New York’s economy,” Capote said. “To lose those workers would make us less competitive, not only nationally but internationally as well, where tech is the future. We want the best and brightest minds in the world to come to the U.S. and work in those industries.”
STEM disciplines are among the most popular choices for international students in the U.S. According to the Migration Policy Institute, 52% of international students were in STEM fields in 2020, and eligible for an OPT program.
After those job programs and internships end, Dr. Fanta Aw, the executive director and CEO of NAFSA, said the U.S. workforce still needs those international students to stick around. “Even if you quadruple the number of people studying in this [STEM] field, you still will not meet that need,” she said.
Aw said the real competition the U.S. faces comes from other nations, like Germany, Japan, and South Korea, which are actively recruiting international students. “They, too, with an aging population and a growing economy, realize they need global talent to grow their economy and for prosperity.”
Aw has worked in international education for more than 30 years, and she expressed concern that students from around the world would be unwilling to gamble their significant investment in a U.S. education at a time when the Trump administration is rejecting them.
“They will seek places where they can have certainty and that is part of the price that is paid as a result of this,” Aw added. She said universities can continue to make the case for how they welcome students on their campuses, “but they are not able to dictate what the government action can or cannot be.”
While the U.S. may still be known as a global hub for education and innovation, the Trump administration’s decision to revoke visas has shaken the confidence of many international students in U.S. higher education.
“It is very jarring to think that the system that we knew to always support us and help us achieve our dreams might not actually do that,” said a former Nigerian student who attended college in the Midwest, and preferred to remain anonymous to protect his privacy. He said he had more freedom to challenge professors in the U.S. than in Nigeria.
He also observed that seeing non-criminal driving-related violations escalate to the point of potential deportation for international students this year is chilling. “The consequences don’t seem equal to the mistakes people are making,” he said. “That’s not the freedom I heard about growing up. The freedom I thought America represented.”
Feyipitan Sadiku, who just earned a Master’s in social work from Illinois State University, said the loss of international students in U.S. schools is also a loss of diverse experiences and voices on campus. She also has been a teacher in her work as a graduate student.
“My students got to learn new things,” said Sadiku, “What does it mean to be a student from Nigeria? You bring a fresh perspective [that] enriches the campus community.”
Edwin is a reporter and producer in North Tonawanda, New York. He’s previously reported for the Niagara Gazette and the Ithaca Times. Edwin got an early start in radio interning for WBFO-88.7FM, NPR’s Buffalo affiliate. In 2018, he graduated from SUNY Buffalo State College with a B.A. in Journalism, and in 2022, graduated from Syracuse University with an M.S. in Communications.