Public opinion is largely negative, reflecting anger and disbelief at the authoritarian nature of the new regulations, which many believe threaten academic freedom and educational access. While there exists a polarized view, a significant portion of the comments express concern that these measures serve a political agenda rather than the interests of students and universities, with particular apprehension regarding the impact on international students.

Trump Administration

U.S. Universities

&gt; International students must not make up more than 15 percent of undergraduate enrolments.

Most universities here already satisfy this.

fullintentionalahole

Isnt government stopped working for a bit? I thought it can be quiet for at least one week

Tensorfrozen

No_Assumption2707

come_up_with_a_name

So fucking stupid. Soaking international students for a ton of money directly subsidizes students born in the USA. 

Just-Context-4703

Could just have them open more slots and set them aside for US natives but nooo lets hurt people who are already in a bad position due to our immigration system

1isOneshot1

It’s fair that universities that take American tax dollars give a very large prioritization to Americans, that’s common logic.

LittleTension8765

There are a lot of 2 year colleges that are visa mills to move illicit funds into the US. A lot of these “students” buy multi-million dollar homes in cash. It is having a negative impact on domestic students  too by making it harder for them to get in and these are schools for people who cannot afford a 4 year college.

jimbosdayoff

Ok-Feed-1957

“It's a hard line when you're an import//
Baby boy it's hard times//
When you ain't sent for//
Racist feed the belly of the beast//
With they pitchforks, rich chores//
Done by the people that get ignored”- Immigrants, We Get The Job Done

Lena_Charbel2324

[deleted]

It's pretty obvious that university education is now a max extraction system, especially with the advent of artificial intelligence. There's no way a journalism, media, or even arts degree can justify 3-4 years. It will come down to law, med, engineering, architecture etc at which point there are probably lower cost jurisdictions for international students to aim for where they can obtain residency then passports easier and quicker without the financial overhead. 

He is doing the foreigners a favour by shutting them out but they just can't see it. 

Yes leave tax payer funded university degrees for citizens and residents but for crying out loud foreigners need to step away from this max extraction cycle of education. 

Few will wake up most will continue chasing.

LifeBricksGlobal

Off topic but what are the numbers like on other countries?

Big-Conflict-4218

Weird how everyone screaming facism still wants to come here. 

riizen24

 Oh god, what does that mean now? And why the f*ck are they targeting us like this?

Dear_Top465

So staying with F1( MSc) +  OPT + stem extension= Total 5 years on F1 is not possible from now on?.

Severe-Drop-1610

But it's already 5 years at max as of now, what are they trying to achieve?

Beautiful_Soup9229

Does this apply to people who already have a visa or to people who will get a visa in the future?

Time_Bottle5575

New York Times: Trump Offered Universities an Invitation for a Deal. Some See a Trap.

The Trump administration promised a select set of universities what the government said would be a great deal.

In exchange for agreeing to a list of demands, like limiting international students and protecting conservative voices, universities would get a leg up on grants, potentially beating out the competition for billions in federal funds.

At least one institution, the University of Texas, said it would be eager to sign up.

But to others in higher education, the Trump administration’s latest effort to use federal funding as leverage to push universities to conform to its own political policy agenda has provoked outrage.

They see it as another threat against their independence as the government attacks higher education over what it perceives as endemic liberal bias, and as a remarkable push to grab power for the executive branch.

"This is a real inflection point," said Jonathan Zimmerman, a professor of the history of education at the University of Pennsylvania.

...

The institutions approached by the administration included the University of Arizona, Brown University, Dartmouth College, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Southern California, the University of Texas, Vanderbilt University and the University of Virginia. Most would not say Thursday whether they would agree to the terms.

But within hours of the Trump administration’s offer, the compact was inflaming divisions in higher education.

The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, a free speech advocacy group, said the requirement that universities monitor the speech of employees could violate the First Amendment.

“A government that can reward colleges and universities for speech it favors today can punish them for speech it dislikes tomorrow,” Tyler Coward, FIRE’s lead counsel for government affairs, said in a statement. “That’s not reform. That’s government-funded orthodoxy.”

... 

The universities that received the invitation to join the compact defied easy categorizing. They were a disparate collection of state universities and private institutions. But a number of them were in states controlled by Republican governors or had indicated a reluctance to fight the Trump administration or congressional Republicans.

...

At the University of Virginia, where the board is currently firmly in Republican control, the president, Jim Ryan, recently stepped down under pressure from the Trump administration over his stances supporting diversity.

ResponsibleAction459

Tell him to screw off.  UVa was already recognized as a bastion of freedom of speech by FIRE.

06Wahoo

Of course it’s a trap, lol.  So obvious.  The best approach is absolute silence. Don’t even acknowledge receipt

FourScoreAndSept

FFS

Conservative voices are protected. 

Always have been. 

And the right has their own universities. 

It’s just those universities have shitty programs and their best graduates head to DC for make work jobs at AEI and Heritage and on Capitol Hill

But that’s not enough for them.  They want everyone’s freedom, like it is a zero sum game.

wil_dogg

A one sided vague agreement that tries to codify their  shaky ability cancel funding at any time for any disagreement and likely any pushback on human rights violations at home or abroad. It says universities must agree to "transforming or abolishing institutional units" that even "belittle" "conservative ideas." There’s no protection for other ideas - only conservative ideas. I would not send my child to any university that agrees to this.

Reason-for-being0568

Are there no normal people left? Have they all fallen so far? How can you see things like this and not understand it to be the grossest abuse of power.

ducksekoy123

Trump's attempt to bribe universities with grants if they agree to enact government-compliant speech regulation is seen as a trap by some. FTFY NYT

Nodivingallowed

Oh hell nah

What’s the best way to let the administration know my opinion?

ColinP7

If UVa doesn't say "not only no, but hell no," they're basically signing their death warrant. 

I fear this BOV is more than willing to do that, though.

oaklandesque

In hindsight, all that "Obama is hitler/Antichrist" talk seems pretty ridiculous now, doesn't it.

Large-Produce5682

Keep the bankrupt fool out of the schools!

Conscious_Froyo5147

Of course it is a trap, or a lie, or  both.  A deal with Trump historically last only as long as it personally benefits him.

The Donald is now the Don and Godfather handing out deals he thinks organizations can't refuse.  This one puts scientific   integrity and academic freedom at risk.

whatdoiknow75

Antiviralposter

Itslolo52484

many of their “demands” either dont affect us or seem so vague that i dont see much of anything really changing even if they go into place. i personally like the idea of tuition controls and public data for admissions, though i understand this isnt a positive for the university, only the students. tbh this feels more like trump admin trying to cozy up to conservative controlled colleges to isolate the defiant liberal colleges.

Trinitial-D

How would this work when student wants to get Masters degree? PhD? 

How would this work in case student goes to US high school?

BrainTotalitarianism

*Trump Administration giving an increasingly burdened USCIS more work to do.*

Ritz527

So basically, OPT (especially STEM OPT) is going to be affected, since how long you can stay on OPT now depends on how long you’ve been on an F1 visa?

RedditHelloMah

vet_t

This is so they can check for political statements that the student might have made during the four years. Tweet something they don’t like and you won’t be doing grad school in the US.

RBatYochai

Lol so much of the university research is upheld by foreign PhD students who are here for 5, 6, or even up to 9-10years... It's a stupid tactic to keep scaring universities to bend to whatever stupid maga propaganda they want spread

unknown0h10

So basically you need to extend your visa to do msc + phd. Seems like it’s incentivizing students at best to do a 4 year and then leave. Realistically they should do a 5 but then again this admin really wants OPT to die… god fucking knows why because students pay for their degree and then want to do a year of paying taxes into the country… it’s a win win but what do I know …

of_no_real_opinion

What isbthe timeline to implement this new rule/policy?

Sea-Bluebird-5125

So basically you can’t do phds in the USA ?

typomasters

If approved, Does this apply to the students who are graduated and on their OPT/STEM OPT???

Regular-Ebb-3261

mcgoohan10

Does this apply to all who are students currently, or only for new F1, J1 applicants ?

Scar_enigma

Canada will gladly take your educated people.  What a wild time.

Opal_Addams

Could someone elaborate on the difference this proposal carries? International students already have to apply for the new I20 if you're changing the program or degree level. You have to apply for OPT or the STEM extension or 60 days to leave the country. Are they just adding an extra form, where in addition to applying for the new I20/OPT/STEM international students would have to file I-539 extension of stay?

lead-free

This effectively eliminates foreign PhD students. The ignorance and anti-intellectualism of this administration knows no limits.

TBSchemer

This administration just lives to shoot the country in the balls

AuDHDiego

So like, we let them come over here and get a higher education and then... kick that well educated person out of the US? Sounds like a great fucking plan.

DirtSlapper

Not like each international student spends 40-80k each year into US economy via tuition, housing, spending, etc. Now they may not come here at all.

I get the abuse he’s referring to. I know people who have been a student here for a decade. But as long as they pay (and they pay more than anybody else) into the system, this is definitely an interesting move.

The policy is also vague. It seems like each program is limited to four years, but then an international student can enroll at another institution for another four years. It just means that they can’t stay 10 years at one university anymore.

xxxamazexxx

pirate40plus

How long will it take to get approved ? 
I am in OPT and I am staying in i-20 i.e. my visa has ended already. Do I need to leave immediately if it got approved?

Impossible_Dingo5353

Kiss my ass Trump.

No student visas.  No H1Bs.  Ever.

nriegg

What's the case when someone finishes their master's degree in 2 years and goes for a PhD? Will they have to return to their home country after staying in the US for 4 years and get a new visa for additional years to complete the PhD?

StealthyStriker

I’ve graduated from my masters program but I’m currently on an approved OPT program. Does this new rule just automatically end my opt or is it shifting my current D/S stamp to be the end date of my OPT? 

I’m confused about whether the end date they’re pegging the status to is the program end date in terms of the master’s program or the end date of the approved OPT on the I20.

Moist-Film-7978

i have untill 2028... if i dont finish the program or have graduated yet i could ask for an extension? so ,like that, i could finish college or be transferred to university ? if yes should i ask for an extension right now or after

ProdLevz

How would this impact someone currently on CPT completing their second masters? Would they need to leave work / study immediately and depart the country?

shnoobydoo1312

Isn't it the status quo? You just need the visa for initial entry. As long as you have the school admin's signature on your papers and you don't leave the US, you are good. Most students from China I know got 1 year visas for their N years' study in the US.

rathemis

dubeupstateny

What took you so long to keep this rule in the first place?

crazynerd14

About time this highly abused area is going to be properly regulated. No more “forever students” who work full time and cheat the system by pretending to study. Maximum of four years and go home. Adios muchachos 

Actual-Bad6627

I had an F-1 and I had to do and extra semester for student teaching. I did 4.5 years. Per this new policy I would have been out of the 4 year limit. It’s unrealistic.

EastIcy9513

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it wont matter , as long as your i-20 is valid, you can stay in USA

Fragrant_Hold_8905

How long was it before? 4 years is a long time

calamari_gringo

Long overdue.  Going to school forever just to remain in the country is a loophole that needs to be closed.

Nofanta

Visa is ONLY a permit issued by USCIS to ask DHS to let you in at custom. Nothing more.

Someone who could have entry the country with 1year F1 VISA but legally stayed 20+ years. 

Unlucky-Work3678

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There is no **clearly-articulated** strategic logic behind the policy changes.  

Meaning the Trump Administration has not communicated what the desired outcome of these changes are.  

We have lots of rhetoric and chest-beating about reducing criminals entering the country, but no **clearly-articulated** explanation about how kicking Masters degree research students, and Doctoral research students out of the country helps any other strategic policy initiative.  

So, in the absence of a clear explanation we have no other option than to make assumptions based on the information available.  

***The evidence seems to suggest*** the desired outcome **might be** to discourage foreign students from coming to the US and to spread a general message to your home nations to not come to the US.  I assume this is hoped to have some positive influence on illegal immigration, and probably lawful immigration too.  

-----  

Edit to add:  

The Trump Administration does not speak for this entire country in this matter.  

A **whole lot** of US citizens are delighted to have International students from all over come and attend our universities, and help with innovation and research projects.

VA_Network_Nerd

I don't see how it won't reduce the amount of applications - you have a limited window to get your 4 years of college in, but I wouldn't attempt to guess how (in)significant it would be. Don't count on it to help with chances of admission. ;)

AnotherAccount4This

I mean, probably not?  I do think it will increase applications at schools in Europe as an alternative/backup.  I say this believing that the visa application slow down/cancelations going on right now will be resolved shortly. This is just not an exciting issue for even Trump-crazies. It's no trans-highschool athlete running the 100 yard dash or anything...

It's such a poor play by a country-- we've traditionally drawn the best and brightest young people (and some of the richer international kids) to our country to study in an effort to exert soft power. They will have long standing, emotionally driven ties to our nation if they spend some of their formative young-adult years here, if nothing else. What country wouldn't want that? Crazy we would want to endanger this easy goodwill in order to make dumb Americans feel better about themselves.

rebonkers

A lot can happen between now and the next application cycle. Depending on what happens with the current international students, the next batch will act.

Traditional_Top6337

Given the relative volatility of America’s political atmosphere, legal interventions, governance by executive order, and innumerable other variables, it’s impossible to say what the next application cycle will look like with any certainty. 

Although things change day by day, the country’s overall trajectory seems to be drifting towards greater social and political volatility.

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Hi there, I’m a bot and something you said made me think you're looking for help with international admissions!


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I still know internationals who want to study in the U.S. Many still see a U.S. diploma as a ticket out of their current situations or as a way to enhance their resumes.

andyn1518

My gosh we are just on here to see about the college application process. There are a million subs to go express yourself about politics

jwmorton88

I know the batch of students still interested in applying to the U.S. at my school is shrinking pretty rapidly.

Studygrindandsmash

The Trump administration has mandated limits on international student admissions at certain universities, raising concerns over educational access.

Trump Administration's New Regulations on International Students and University Funding

Why This Matters

Public Sentiment Summary

Highlighted Comments

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What the people want