Effect of Federal Policy Changes on International Students Pursuing Higher Education Studies in the United States

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.