2025 in review: 12 stories that shaped international education in the US
1. Fears mount over threats to OPT under the Trump administration
Optional Practical Training (OPT) was thrust into the limelight in the weeks before Trump’s inauguration, after a row about H-1B visas overspilled into scrutiny of OPT. Despite several MAGA hardliners calling for the post study work stream to be abolished, it survived early threats and remains unscathed. The subject has been in and out of the headlines for the duration of 2025, with sector leaders widely anticipating restrictions in the new year.
2. The state department pauses study abroad grant funding
The administration took hit at the study abroad sector in the early weeks of Trump’s second presidency when the state department paused federal funding for government exchange programs. While intended as a temporary 15-day pause, nearly two months passed before the freeze was gradually lifted, with the sector warning that the very survival of US educational and cultural exchange was at risk.
3. Harvard stands firm against Trump
Harvard University became the focal point of Trump’s attack on US post-secondary education this year – with America’s oldest institution one of the only colleges to stand up to the administration, refusing a long list of government demands in April including reporting on international students and ending DEI policies. The move triggered an ongoing feud in which the government repeatedly attempted to revoke Harvard’s ability to host international students, as the university took the fight to the courts.
4. Discriminatory arrests, detainments and visa revocations cloud US campuses
This spring, fear spread across US campuses as the administration terminated thousands of student SEVIS statuses and pursued dozens of high-profile arrests of international students for participating in pro-Palestinian advocacy. Sector leaders galvanised in opposition to Trump’s deportation campaign – which was since ruled unconstitutional – and the government reversed thousands of SEVIS terminations. As of last month, it had revoked at least 8K student visas.
5. Scrutiny turns on OPT again as Joseph Edlow joins USCIS
Sector attention turned on Optional Practical Training once more when Trump’s nominee to head the US agency for immigration said he wanted to end post-graduation OPT, while leaders emphasised the unrivalled value of the work pathway for international students. It appeared the program was being threatened on multiple fronts, with the remarks coinciding with a letter sent to OPT participants warning them to report their employment information or face the possibility of deportation.
6. Trump suspends new student visa appointments
As colleagues convened for NAFSA’s annual conference, the sector was rocked by the state department’s pausing of new study visa interviews at the busiest time of the year for study visa issuance. Following sector advocacy, it was almost a month by the time appointments were back up and running, with reports that nearly half of offer-holding international students had been unable to book interviews. The freeze caused backlogs long into the summer and contributed to lower international enrolments this fall.
7. International students from 40 nations impacted by Trump’s travel ban
Resurrecting a well-known policy from his first administration, Trump enacted a full travel ban on a dozen countries and a partial one on an additional seven this June, citing national security as his rationale for the crackdown. According to the President’s proclamation, citizens from the targeted countries had “taken advantage of the US”, while critics raised concerns about the policy relying on inaccurate federal visa data. Just last week, the administration expanded the ban to another 20 countries including Nigeria – America’s eighth largest source country.
8. $100 million in funding is slashed for study abroad programs
In a move widely touted as unconstitutional, the state department cut $100 million in FY 2025 grants for study abroad programs this August – money that had already been approved by Congress. The cuts impacted at least 22 cultural exchange programs and were set to result in furloughs, redundancies and some organisational closures. Warning of an “existential crisis” for US cultural exchange, stakeholders launched a campaign for the funding to be released. While it has since purportedly been made available to ECA, the grants have not yet been issued by the state department.
9. The White House moves towards a final rule on Duration of Status
Proposals to end Duration of Status have been on the administrative agenda for much of 2025, as the government draws up a rule to restrict the amount of time international students can spend in the US. While the current system remains in place, stakeholders are keeping a close eye on developments, with experts predicting the new rule to lay out two- and four-year fixed time periods depending on students’ country of origin.
10. Nine institutions receive Trump’s ‘compact’
The so-called ‘Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education’ promised preferential access to federal funding to institutions that agreed to a list of sweeping demands set by the administration including capping international undergraduate enrolments at 15%. Though none of the initial nine institutions agreed to the compact – widely citing concerns over academic freedom – Trump proceeded to expand the offer to all US universities.
Plunging US businesses into disarray, Trump announced in September an eye-watering hike to the H-1B visa fee – setting it at $100,000. There have since been three legal challenges against the policy, and the administration later clarified international students changing status in the US would be exempt from the fee. Meanwhile, plans to overhaul the H-1B processing system remain underway.
12. New international enrolments fall by 17%
The highly anticipated release of IIE’s Fall Snapshot data revealed a 17% decline in new international enrolments this fall. While confirming sector fears about the damaging repercussions of Trump’s attacks on international students, the figure fell short of more drastic declines of up to 40% that were widely expected across institutions.
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