Trump’s 15% Cap on International Students Sparks Alarm in US Universities
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The United States is bracing for a major shift in higher education as the Donald Trump administration has ordered nine leading universities to cap international undergraduate enrolments at 15 per cent. The directive, tied to continued access to federal funds, has raised fears of widespread disruption for international students and institutions alike.
The memo, titled Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education, stipulates that no more than 15 per cent of undergraduates can be enrolled under the Student Visa Exchange Program. Further, no more than 5 per cent of a university’s intake may come from a single country, a restriction that could particularly affect students from India and China, the largest international cohorts in the US.
Prestigious institutions including MIT, Brown University, Dartmouth College and the University of Pennsylvania are among those targeted. Others named are the University of Arizona, University of Southern California, University of Texas, University of Virginia and Vanderbilt University.
Universities already exceeding these limits must scale back international intake, a move likely to reshape the country’s academic landscape. The White House has yet to explain why these nine universities were chosen, though officials suggest they were willing to provide feedback on the policy.
The 10-point memo goes beyond admissions caps. It requires universities to freeze tuition fees for five years, disclose anonymised admissions data by race, gender and origin, and eliminate departments accused of bias against conservative viewpoints. It also mandates standardised testing for all international applicants and ties tuition waivers in science fields to wealthy institutions with large endowments.
Sector leaders have warned that the measures will undermine the United States’ competitiveness as a global study destination. The country currently hosts over one million international students, many of whom contribute significantly to research, innovation and the economy.
While some institutions have previously settled disputes with the Trump administration over diversity and antisemitism policies, others remain in conflict. The latest restrictions are expected to add further strain as universities attempt to balance compliance with their internationalisation goals.
Source: THE INDIAN EXPRESS
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