Background: In 2018, President Donald J. Trump announced that his administration would place restrictions on international students seeking to pursue higher education degrees in the United States. American institutions of higher education protested these policy changes, because international students represent a significant social and cultural contribution to their system and provide a source of revenue. The restrictions on international students were not overwhelming, primarily consisting of increased visa fees and threats stating that misbehavior in the country would result in immediate deportation. Although these demands do not typically deter international students, some individuals view these restrictions as part of an overall trend of anti-immigrant sentiment in the United States. The goal of this study was to investigate the impact of these new restrictions on the education of international students in the United States. Methods: The population, intervention, comparison, and outcome (PICO) question format was used to formulate the research question, centered on international students seeking to complete their higher education in the United States. The databases used for this study were ProQuest, JSTOR, LexisNexis, and Google Scholar. Results: The movement to place restrictions on international students in the United States is a recent development, and no statistically significant effects can presently be determined. Government funding for public universities, who market their programs to international students, has been reduced. Conclusions: This research demonstrates that international student attendance at American universities was declining before the immigration restrictions were implemented. Based on current data, it is too early to determine how immigration restrictions will impact American universities, and more time will be needed to evaluate the impact of President Trump’s policies.
Published in | Higher Education Research (Volume 5, Issue 2) |
DOI | 10.11648/j.her.20200502.14 |
Page(s) | 60-67 |
Creative Commons |
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited. |
Copyright |
Copyright © The Author(s), 2020. Published by Science Publishing Group |
International Students, Student Visas, Trump Immigration Policies, United States Universities
[1] | Altbach, P. G., & Reisberg, L. (2017). Global: Another week, another scandal: immigration dilemmas and political confusion. In Understanding higher education internationalization (pp. 103–106). Sense Publishers. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-6351-161-2_22. |
[2] | Amuedo-Dorantes, C., & Furtado, D. (2019). Settling for academia?: H-1B visas and the career choices of international students in the United States. Journal of Human Resources, 54 (2), 401–429. https://doi.org/10.3368/jhr.54.2.0816.8167R1. |
[3] | Arthur, N. (2017). Supporting international students through strengthening their social resources. Studies in Higher Education, 42 (5), 887–894. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2017.1293876. |
[4] | Aslam, S., & Emmanuel, P. (2010). Formulating a researchable question: A critical step for facilitating good clinical research. Indian Journal of Sexually Transmitted Diseases and AIDS, 31 (1), 47. https://doi.org/10.4103/2589-0557.69003. |
[5] | Association of International Educators. (2019). Loosing talent. Retrieved February 22, 2020, https://www.nafsa.org/sites/default/files/media/document/nafsa-losing-talent.pdf. |
[6] | Banjong, D. N., & Olson, M. R. (2016). Issues and trends of international students in the United States. International Journal of Education, 4 (1), 1-14. |
[7] | Bier, D. J. (2019). Legal immigration will resolve America’s real border problems. Cato Institute. https://doi.org/10.36009/PA.879. |
[8] | Calvin, H. (n. d.). Volume 28 (2017-18) - Asian American Policy Review. Retrieved February 22, 2020, from https://aapr.hkspublications.org/print/vol28/. |
[9] | Cantwell, B. (2015). Are international students cash cows? Examining the relationship between new international undergraduate enrollments and institutional revenue at public colleges and universities in the US. Journal of International Students, 5 (4), 512–525. http://jistudents.org. |
[10] | Chellaraj, G. (2019). The Economics of International Student and Scholar Mobility: Directions for Research (pp. 1–42). |
[11] | Choudaha, R. (2019). Beyond $300 billion: The global impact of international students. Retrieved February 22, 2020, from https://www.studyportals.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Beyond_300b_International_Students_Final-Aug15.pdf. |
[12] | Ee, J. (2013). “He’s an idiot!” Experiences of international students in the United States. Journal of International Students, 3 (1), 72-75. Retrieved from https://www.ojed.org/index.php/jis/article/view/522. |
[13] | Federis, M. (2019, June 20). US visa rules are restricting the future of international students. Global National Education. Retrieved February 15, 2020, from https://www.pri.org/stories/2019-06-20/visa-rules-are-restricting-future-international-students-us. |
[14] | Hainmueller, J., & Hopkins, D. J. (2014). Public attitudes toward immigration. Annual Review of Political Science, 17 (1), 225–249. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-polisci-102512-194818. |
[15] | Hou, F., & Lu, Y. (2017). International students, immigration and earnings growth: The effect of a pre-immigration host-country university education. IZA Journal of Development and Migration, 7 (1), 5. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40176-017-0091-5. |
[16] | Jackson, M., Ray, S., & Bybell, D. (2013). International students in the U.S.: Social and psychological adjustment. Journal of International Students, 3 (1), 17-28. Retrieved from https://www.ojed.org/index.php/jis/article/view/515. |
[17] | Jamaludin, N. L., Sam, D. L., Sandal, G. M., & Adam, A. A. (2018). The influence of perceived discrimination, orientation to mainstream culture and life satisfaction on destination loyalty intentions: The case of international students. Current Issues in Tourism, 21 (8), 934–949. https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2015.1119102. |
[18] | Kang, T., Zou, S., & Weng, C. (2019). Pretraining to recognize piCO elements from randomized controlled trial literature. Studies in Health Technology and Informatics, 264, 188–192. https://doi.org/10.3233/SHTI190209. |
[19] | Kerr, W. (2018). America, don’t throw global talent away. Nature, 563 (7732), 445. https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-018-07446-2. |
[20] | Kirby, D. A., Guerrero, M., & Urbano, D. (2011). Making universities more entrepreneurial: Development of a model. Canadian Journal of Administrative Sciences, 28 (3), 302–316. https://doi.org/10.1002/CJAS.220. |
[21] | Nghia, T. L. H. (2019). Motivations for studying abroad and immigration intentions: The case of Vietnamese students. Journal of International Students, 9 (3), 758–776. https://doi.org/10.32674/jis.v0i0.731. |
[22] | Manuel, K. M. (2016, August 1). State challenges to federal enforcement of immigration law: From the mid-1990s to the present. 7-5700, www.crs.gov, R43839. |
[23] | Mazzarol, T., & Soutar, G. N. (2002). “Push-pull” factors influencing international student destination choice. International Journal of Educational Management, 16 (2), 82–90. https://doi.org/10.1108/09513540210418403. |
[24] | Pande, A., Tigau, C., & Yuan, Y. (2017). Skilled immigration and the conditions of labour competition in the US: A comparative study of the Indian, the Mexican and the Chinese diasporas. Migration and Development, 6 (3), 343–354. https://doi.org/10.1080/17415977.2017.1301044. |
[25] | Redden, E. (2017a, September 5). Some universities are reporting declines in international enrollments, ranging from modest to substantial. Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved February 15, 2020, from https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2017/09/05/some-universities-are-reporting-declines-international-enrollments-ranging-modest. |
[26] | Redden, E. (2017b, November 13). U.S. universities report declines in enrollments of new international students; study abroad participation increases. Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved February 15, 2020, from https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2017/11/13/us-universities-report-declines-enrollments-new-international-students-study-abroad. |
[27] | Riaño, Y., Van Mol, C., & Raghuram, P. (2018). New directions in studying policies of international student mobility and migration. Globalisation, Societies and Education, 16 (3), 283–294. https://doi.org/10.1080/14767724.2018.1478721. |
[28] | Romero, A. (2017). Immigration barriers will affect U.S. academia. www.aromerojr.net. |
[29] | Rose-Redwood, C., & Rose-Redwood, R. (n. d.). Rethinking the politics of the international student experience in the age of Trump. Journal of International Students, 7 (3), I–IX. Retrieved February 24, 2020, from https://doi.org/10.32674/jis.v7i3.201. |
[30] | Ruiz, N. K., & Budiman, A. (2018, May 10). Increase in foreign student graduates staying and working in U.S. Pew Research Center. Retrieved February 19, 2020, from https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2018/05/10/number-of-foreign-college-students-staying-and-working-in-u-s-after-graduation-surges/. |
[31] | Sá, C. M., & Sabzalieva, E. (2018). The politics of the great brain race: Public policy and international student recruitment in Australia, Canada, England and the USA. Higher Education, 75 (2), 231–253. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-017-0133-1. |
[32] | Shih, K. (2017). Do international students crowd-out or cross-subsidize Americans in higher education? Journal of Public Economics, 156, 170–184. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpubeco.2017.10.003. |
[33] | Smith, C. (2016). International student success. Strategic Enrollment Management Quarterly, 4 (2), 61–73. https://doi.org/10.1002/sem3.20084. |
[34] | Stein, S., & de Andreotti, V. O. (2016). Cash, competition, or charity: International students and the global imaginary. Higher Education, 72 (2), 225–239. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-015-9949-8. |
[35] | Study International Staff. (2019, July 5). University tuition fees in the US are at an all-time high. Study International News. Retrieved February 15, 2020, from https://www.studyinternational.com/news/university-tuition-fees-in-the-us-are-at-an-all-time-high/. |
[36] | Stuen, E. T., Mobarak, A. M., & Maskus, K. E. (2012). Skilled immigration and innovation: Evidence from enrolment fluctuations in US doctoral programmes. Economic Journal, 122 (565), 1143–1176. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-0297.2012.02543.x. |
[37] | Thompson, D. (2017, July 26) The bursting of the college bubble. The Atlantic. Retrieved February 19, 2020, from https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2017/07/college-bubble-ends/534915/. |
[38] | Usher. A. (2019). Has President Trump Scared Away All the Foreign Students? The facts behind fears of a higher-education revenue recession. Education Next. Retrieved February 15, 2020, from https://www.educationnext.org/has-president-trump-scared-away-foreign-students-facts-behind-fears-higher-education-revenue-recession/. |
[39] | Wu, C., & Wilkes, R. (2017). International students’ post-graduation migration plans and the search for home. Geoforum, 80, 123–132. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoforum.2017.01.015. |
[40] | Wu, T., & Naidoo, V. (2016). The role of international marketing in higher education. In International marketing of higher education (pp. 3–9). Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-54291-5_1. |
APA Style
James McKivigan. (2020). Effect of Federal Policy Changes on International Students Pursuing Higher Education Studies in the United States. Higher Education Research, 5(2), 60-67. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.her.20200502.14
ACS Style
James McKivigan. Effect of Federal Policy Changes on International Students Pursuing Higher Education Studies in the United States. High. Educ. Res. 2020, 5(2), 60-67. doi: 10.11648/j.her.20200502.14
AMA Style
James McKivigan. Effect of Federal Policy Changes on International Students Pursuing Higher Education Studies in the United States. High Educ Res. 2020;5(2):60-67. doi: 10.11648/j.her.20200502.14
@article{10.11648/j.her.20200502.14, author = {James McKivigan}, title = {Effect of Federal Policy Changes on International Students Pursuing Higher Education Studies in the United States}, journal = {Higher Education Research}, volume = {5}, number = {2}, pages = {60-67}, doi = {10.11648/j.her.20200502.14}, url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.her.20200502.14}, eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.her.20200502.14}, abstract = {Background: In 2018, President Donald J. Trump announced that his administration would place restrictions on international students seeking to pursue higher education degrees in the United States. American institutions of higher education protested these policy changes, because international students represent a significant social and cultural contribution to their system and provide a source of revenue. The restrictions on international students were not overwhelming, primarily consisting of increased visa fees and threats stating that misbehavior in the country would result in immediate deportation. Although these demands do not typically deter international students, some individuals view these restrictions as part of an overall trend of anti-immigrant sentiment in the United States. The goal of this study was to investigate the impact of these new restrictions on the education of international students in the United States. Methods: The population, intervention, comparison, and outcome (PICO) question format was used to formulate the research question, centered on international students seeking to complete their higher education in the United States. The databases used for this study were ProQuest, JSTOR, LexisNexis, and Google Scholar. Results: The movement to place restrictions on international students in the United States is a recent development, and no statistically significant effects can presently be determined. Government funding for public universities, who market their programs to international students, has been reduced. Conclusions: This research demonstrates that international student attendance at American universities was declining before the immigration restrictions were implemented. Based on current data, it is too early to determine how immigration restrictions will impact American universities, and more time will be needed to evaluate the impact of President Trump’s policies.}, year = {2020} }
TY - JOUR T1 - Effect of Federal Policy Changes on International Students Pursuing Higher Education Studies in the United States AU - James McKivigan Y1 - 2020/05/15 PY - 2020 N1 - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.her.20200502.14 DO - 10.11648/j.her.20200502.14 T2 - Higher Education Research JF - Higher Education Research JO - Higher Education Research SP - 60 EP - 67 PB - Science Publishing Group SN - 2578-935X UR - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.her.20200502.14 AB - Background: In 2018, President Donald J. Trump announced that his administration would place restrictions on international students seeking to pursue higher education degrees in the United States. American institutions of higher education protested these policy changes, because international students represent a significant social and cultural contribution to their system and provide a source of revenue. The restrictions on international students were not overwhelming, primarily consisting of increased visa fees and threats stating that misbehavior in the country would result in immediate deportation. Although these demands do not typically deter international students, some individuals view these restrictions as part of an overall trend of anti-immigrant sentiment in the United States. The goal of this study was to investigate the impact of these new restrictions on the education of international students in the United States. Methods: The population, intervention, comparison, and outcome (PICO) question format was used to formulate the research question, centered on international students seeking to complete their higher education in the United States. The databases used for this study were ProQuest, JSTOR, LexisNexis, and Google Scholar. Results: The movement to place restrictions on international students in the United States is a recent development, and no statistically significant effects can presently be determined. Government funding for public universities, who market their programs to international students, has been reduced. Conclusions: This research demonstrates that international student attendance at American universities was declining before the immigration restrictions were implemented. Based on current data, it is too early to determine how immigration restrictions will impact American universities, and more time will be needed to evaluate the impact of President Trump’s policies. VL - 5 IS - 2 ER -