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With President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration approaching on January 20, fear and uncertainty are spreading across U.S. college campuses.
Many universities are urging international students to return early from their winter break, citing the potential for new travel bans similar to those implemented at the start of Trump’s first term, which left some students stranded abroad.
During the 2023-2024 academic year, over 1.1 million international students were enrolled in U.S. colleges and universities.
Trump’s return to the White House comes with promises of hardline immigration policies, including an expansion of the previous travel ban on predominantly Muslim countries and the potential revocation of student visas for “radical anti-American and antisemitic foreigners.”
For many international students, these proposals pose a direct threat to their education and residency in the U.S.
“It’s a scary time for international students,” said Pramath Pratap Misra, a recent NYU graduate from India. New York University, with over 27,000 international students, is one of the top destinations for global scholars.
Misra’s sentiment echoes concerns across campuses from New York to California, where students are not only preparing for finals but also bracing for potential disruptions to their academic plans.
Several universities have issued specific warnings to their international students. Cornell University’s Office of Global Learning advised students traveling abroad to return before January 21, the start of the spring semester, and cautioned against delays due to potential new executive orders.
“A travel ban is likely to go into effect soon after inauguration,” the university warned, listing countries that could be impacted, including Iran, Libya, Syria, Venezuela, and Yemen, as well as potential additions like China and India.
At the University of Southern California (USC), administrators urged students to be back in the U.S. at least a week before Trump’s inauguration to avoid complications. USC, which has over 17,000 international students, emphasized that travel and visa processing might face immediate impacts from new executive orders.
Northeastern University, Harvard, and other institutions have issued similar advisories, recommending early returns to minimize potential disruptions.
These warnings come amidst Trump’s broader immigration agenda, which includes mass deportations of undocumented immigrants and possibly naturalized citizens. Trump has also proposed granting green cards to foreign nationals graduating from U.S. colleges.
However, campaign representatives later clarified that such privileges would be limited to “the most skilled graduates” and exclude individuals deemed as “radical” or reliant on public assistance. It remains unclear how this policy will be implemented during Trump’s second term.
Universities are attempting to reassure their international communities. NYU leaders emphasized in a post-election email their commitment to the cross-border mobility of students and scholars, pledging to monitor immigration policies closely.
Similarly, the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Wesleyan University have provided resources and guidance for international students navigating the uncertainty.
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The tension is not just logistical but ideological. Trump has pledged to reinstate and expand his previous travel ban, which limited entry from predominantly Muslim countries and certain African nations.
During his campaign, he also vowed to implement strict ideological screenings for immigrants, targeting individuals he described as “dangerous lunatics, haters, and America-haters.”
For many students, this rhetoric adds to their unease. “We’re very uncertain about the future,” said Gabrielle Balreira Fontenelle Mota, a Brazilian junior studying at NYU.
While she doesn’t feel as vulnerable as students from countries Trump has criticized, she is worried about ideological screenings.
In response to these concerns, some universities are reinforcing policies to protect student privacy. UCLA, for instance, reminded students that immigration status would not be shared without legal compulsion and that campus police are prohibited from collaborating with federal immigration authorities.
Looking ahead, experts believe Trump’s second term could mirror his first in terms of restrictive immigration policies.
“What we saw during the first Trump administration was an effort to restrict the entry of foreign-born students and workers across every category,” said Stuart Anderson, executive director of the National Foundation for American Policy.
As universities prepare for the upcoming semester, the uncertainty surrounding Trump’s immigration policies continues to loom large. Institutions are urging their international students to prioritize early returns and prepare for a potentially tumultuous transition period.
