US Proposes 15% Cap on International Student Enrolments
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The United States government has proposed a sweeping new compact that could dramatically reshape international student enrolments at American universities. A White House memo sent to nine leading institutions outlined a plan to cap international undergraduate enrolments at 15%, with no more than 5% of students from any single country.
The proposed “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education” sets conditions for access to federal funding, student loan programmes and visa approvals. Institutions agreeing to the plan would also be granted preferential treatment under the tax code.
Universities named in the initial correspondence include Vanderbilt, Dartmouth, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Southern California, MIT, the University of Texas, the University of Arizona, Brown, and the University of Virginia. According to officials, the compact could later be extended to all US colleges.
Alongside the student cap, the White House outlined additional demands: freezing tuition fees for five years, reinstating mandatory standardised testing, banning the use of race or sex in hiring, and tightening scrutiny of international students. Universities would also be required to share detailed student data, including disciplinary records, with the Department of Homeland Security and the State Department.
The memo states that international students should “support American and Western values” and that institutions must “screen out” those deemed hostile to the United States or its allies. The proposal comes amid heightened federal oversight of student visas, including expanded social media checks and recent tensions between the administration and major universities such as Harvard over data-sharing.
International students form a significant proportion of enrolments at some US universities — more than a quarter at the University of Southern California and nearly one quarter at Brown. Critics argue that imposing caps could harm America’s global competitiveness in higher education and discourage talent from abroad.
The announcement follows a federal court ruling against the administration’s deportation campaign targeting international students involved in pro-Palestinian advocacy, which judges deemed unconstitutional.
If enacted nationwide, the compact could mark one of the most restrictive policy shifts for international students in the United States in recent decades.
Source: THE PIE NEWS
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