Surge to Slowdown: 38% Fall in US Student Visas Issued to Indians in Jan-Sept This Year
We all closely follow the visa approval and denial rates for students around the world. In 2024, the focus has been on India. Our internal numbers were reflecting unusually high refusal rates; however, there were no alarm bells ringing across our sector. As the fall intake began to take shape, we had several schools in our network raising concerns, and we finally began hearing from trade associations and schools outside our network. For our team, it was clear: This wasn’t a capacity issue, it was a denial issue.
When trying to get to the heart of the problem, there were no clear answers coming from the State Department. We do know that our competitors in Canada and Australia were slowing visa approvals and focusing on quality versus quantity to ensure they were bringing in “genuine” students. As we look ahead, we will continue to try and get to the root causes of this change, while understanding that the focus on “genuine” students is going to remain a priority for the US and our competitors.
Asked about the reasons for the sharp decline in F-1 visa issuance to Indians and whether it was due to fewer applications or a higher rejection rate, a US State Department spokesperson did not comment specifically on the data. Instead, the spokesperson noted that “individual monthly issuance reports do not necessarily provide accurate issuance totals for the fiscal year to date”.
Read more on The Indian Express >
‘You Don’t Know What’s Next.’ International Students Scramble Ahead of Trump Inauguration
This week in the news has been full of articles about the possible impacts of a second Trump administration on international students. Schools across the country are issuing advisories to international students to be back on campuses prior to Inauguration Day, January 20th. This advisory, along with other comments regarding immigration, are causing unease among international students.
“A new presidential administration will take office on January 20, 2025, and — as is common — may issue one or more executive orders impacting travel to the U.S. and visa processing. While there’s no certainty such orders will be issued, the safest way to avoid any challenges is to be physically present in the U.S. before the spring semester begins on January 13, 2025,” said a letter the USC Office of International Services sent this month.
Learn more on the Los Angeles Times >
Colleges Scramble to Shield Programs Among Growing Hostility from Trump
As everyone prepares for a second Trump administration and trying to predict what to expect, universities are looking inward at programs and issues that may need protecting, such as endowments, research funding, and DEI initiatives. For years, there has been a growing rift between universities and the GOP, and during the 2024 election that rift was highlighted in campaign messaging and policy proposals. It is unclear which threats Trump or Congress will act on: Taxing endowments, closing the Department of Education, or a federal overhaul of financial aid are all possibilities that make university administrations nervous.
It’s a dizzying and upsetting place for universities which had become accustomed to reverence for their contributions to society and now find themselves tarred as “the enemy.” The shift is not just political, but cultural, with a hardening skepticism of expertise and academia, rather than faith in research, science and scholarship.
Get the full story on The Washington Post >
What Could an Effort to ‘Abolish’ the Department of Education Actually Mean for Financial Aid Policy?
There has been a lot of talk about abolishing the Department of Education under the incoming administration. This article goes into great detail about how it could be done and the potential impacts. It’s important to note that to close the department would require Congressional approval (by no means guaranteed or an easy sell, given the forthcoming narrow majority the Republicans will hold).
Since the department’s 1980 creation under President Jimmy Carter, it has faced continued calls to be abolished, which date back to President Ronald Reagan’s administration. However, neither Congress nor the following presidencies have shuttered the agency.
