Kayla Susalla
One of the slew of executive orders President Donald Trump issued since assuming office includes re-evaluating visa programs to weed out potential national security threats. In response, federal agents have detained, and are seeking to deport, multiple international college students and faculty members, and universities have issued warnings advising students that traveling to certain countries could impact their ability to re-enter the US. While keeping Americans safe remains a top priority, it is important to recognize the benefits international students bring to the US.
The US brings in far more students from abroad than leave the country to study elsewhere. In the 2022- 2023 school year, the US hosted over one million international students, while 280,716 students left for study abroad programs, and 125,398 enrolled overseas for non-credit experiential activities, online global learning experiences, and full-degree programs.
International students are a major revenue source for US colleges and often pay double the rates of in-state students. One report estimates that during the 2023–2024 academic year, international students contributed $43.8 billion to the economy through job creation and spending in the higher education, accommodation, dining, retail, transportation, telecommunications, and health insurance sectors. About 25 percent of billion-dollar startup companies in the US have a founder who initially came to America as an international student. Additionally, some research concludes that because international students are paying full-price tuition, universities can keep prices lower for in-state students.
Beyond providing immediate economic fuel, international students make major contributions to American innovation. Chinese native Fei-Fei Li earned degrees at Princeton and Caltech before creating ImageNet, an image database used to advance computer vision and deep learning research. Originally from India, Rattan Lal earned his PhD at the Ohio State University and has received numerous accolades for his work on sustainable agriculture. Born in Lebanon, Ardem Patapoutian studied at UCLA and Caltech and earned a Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discovering an ion channel responsible for sensory input. Perhaps especially important for economic growth, a majority of international students pursue STEM degrees while enrolled at US institutions. Intellectual diversity is essential for fostering innovation and driving advancements in key areas, conducive to Trump’s goals to make America great.
International students in the US, as well as American study abroad programs, can also play a pertinent role in cultural exchange. This form of soft power encourages cross-cultural engagement, allowing students to build mutual understanding with people from different backgrounds. Positive experiences in the US could attract top talent in the future, and student exchanges could serve as bridges to ease geopolitical tensions by fostering international collaboration.
As international students come under increased scrutiny, it is important to recognize the contributions they make to US institutions, including supporting universities and local economies and helping drive technological advancements and breakthroughs across industries. Through their role as facilitators of cross-cultural exchange, international students also play a part in promoting intercultural competence and fostering global awareness. While maintaining national security is vital, ensuring that American higher education remains welcoming to international students is important to preserving the US’s position as a world leader.