International student visa freeze may break college town economies

(NewsNation) — The White House has waged war on Harvard University and other Ivy League institutions in recent months over protests and policies on campus.

The administration’s latest moves include freezing visa interviews for international student visa holders and threatening the revocation of Chinese students‘ visas. A federal judge has extended an order to block Trump’s attempt to bar Harvard from enrolling foreign students, though the battle is far from over.

While Trump’s policies would hurt Harvard or Columbia University in the long run, data from Open Doors suggests America’s southern and midwestern schools stand to lose the most.

In the 2023-24 academic year, Open Doors estimated at least 1.12 million international students were enrolled at secondary education institutions nationwide.

New York University enrolled more international students than anyone, but half of the Top 10 destinations for foreign students were public schools.

That includes Arizona State University, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Purdue University.

According to the Association of International Educators, those students added nearly $44 billion to the economy — supporting more than 378,000 jobs nationwide. Some states that saw at least $1 billion roll in included Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan and Texas.

International students typically pay full tuition and even out-of-state tuition at public schools — which helps to make college more affordable for U.S.-born students.

Losing out on that foreign student revenue could hurt college towns across America and cripple local economies, especially in states that lack other economic opportunities.