Mr. Trump was elected president, will the number of international students coming to the US decrease?

The number of international students has been steadily declining during Donald Trump’s first term as president, reaching its lowest point in the 2020-2021 school year. Is this likely to happen again in the future?

Vietnamese students exchange with American universities at an event in September.

Many parties expressed concerns

Immediately after Donald Trump won his second term as US president, many international education websites reported on the upcoming changes that could happen to international students based on the policies he announced during his campaign. "American universities are preparing for a challenging four years ahead after Donald Trump won the election and returned to the White House after a historic election," wrote Times Higher Education .

This concern comes from many causes. First, it is because the number of international students coming to the US dropped sharply during Mr. Trump's first term and reached its lowest level in the 2020-2021 school year. According to Higher Ed Dive , a study also showed that in the first 3 years of Mr. Trump's term, the number of international students studying at American universities decreased by about 12% compared to competing countries.

"Trump has been determined to ensure that Chinese and Muslim students feel unwelcome in the United States. Indeed, his administration banned students from six Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States in 2017," ICEF Monitor said. During the 2024 election campaign, Trump expressed support for similar policies.

The situation has improved since President Joe Biden took office, with international students coming to the US set to hit a near-record high in the 2022-2023 academic year. A recent study by IDP Education Australia also found that the US has become the most popular study abroad destination for international students after Australia, Canada and the UK adjusted their policies. That is why many US universities do not want the old scenario to return.

Number of international students in the US over the past 10 years, from the 2014-2015 school year to the fall of 2023

PHOTO: WES SCREENSHOT

Second is the issue of college costs. The Trump administration is likely to change many regulations on higher education, including those related to school accreditation and threaten to cut off access to student financial aid for underperforming institutions. The president-elect has also proposed a plan to end tax exemptions for private colleges and universities and tax their endowments.

"Programs to train scientists and doctors working in developing countries could also be cut, thereby reducing America's ability to conduct scientific diplomacy. Mr. Trump could also decide to cut funding for research, such as climate change research, and scientists who disagree with his policies," Professor John Aubrey Douglass (University of California at Berkeley) wrote in University World News .

Trump’s return to power could increase scrutiny of Chinese-American scientists and research ties to China, experts say. He also said he would close the federal Department of Education and shift its responsibilities to state governments, even though the department handles many important tasks such as overseeing financial aid, enforcing regulations, and investigating citizen complaints.

All of the above will, more or less, affect international students and researchers in the US in the coming time.

What opportunities are there for international students?

Despite the concerns, many of Mr. Trump’s statements have received support. For example, he once proposed that all foreign students who graduate from two- and four-year colleges should be automatically granted permanent residency, allowing them to stay in the United States. His campaign later said that if he were re-elected, he would grant green cards after “the most rigorous vetting process in American history.”

Hundreds of parents and students watched a sharing session about student visas at an event organized by the US Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City in October.

Commenting on LinkedIn, Career Mosaic CEO Manisha Zaveri added that Trump had proposed changes to the Optional Practical Training (OPT) and H-1B visas during his first term, which were heavily criticized. "The international education industry is cautious and if there are any restrictions on H-1B or OPT in the near future, the flow of students may shift to other countries," Zaveri noted.

Overall, the US will remain one of the top study abroad destinations regardless of any changes, according to The PIE News . Because, some survey results of international students before the US election showed that, although many people were interested in the two candidates in the race for the White House, the majority affirmed that the election results did not affect their choice to come to the US.

Previously, speaking with Thanh Nien at the US University Education Exhibition in early October, Mr. Justin T. Walls, Head of the Culture and Information Department (US Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City), affirmed: "We really want Vietnamese people to study in the US. That is why student visa policies in Vietnam remain stable and consistent. This plays an important role in the comprehensive strategic partnership between the US and Vietnam."

According to statistics from the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in 2023, there were 31,310 Vietnamese studying in the US, ranking 6th in the number of international students. This is also the first time the number of Vietnamese students in the US has reached more than 30,000 after 2 years below 30,000. However, if considering the number of international students in high schools alone, Vietnam ranked 5th with 3,187 people, behind China, South Korea, Mexico, and Spain.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/ong-trump-dac-cu-tong-thong-du-hoc-sinh-den-my-co-giam-185241109161016458.htm