Will Trumps election affect international student acceptance rates?

[jarryds]

How will this likely to affect the 2 Columbia’s Quant Master Program if any? From what I know the grants normally affect the phd research funding mainly.

Theoretically, Columbia's endowment could fill in this gap pretty easily, but not sure if they will spend it.

I don't think this has much of an affect on the MFEs. Sure costs could go up, but they are already kind of robbing students blind.

I imagine this will temporarily kill a lot of research grants, Columbia should really step in and pick up the tab.

 

[ExSan]

Forbes - DOJ Memo Bad News For Employers Of H-1B Visa Holders And Other Immigrants​

 

[Andy Nguyen]

Theoretically, Columbia's endowment could fill in this gap pretty easily, but not sure if they will spend it.

I don't think this has much of an affect on the MFEs. Sure costs could go up, but they are already kind of robbing students blind.

I imagine this will temporarily kill a lot of research grants, Columbia should really step in and pick up the tab.

Here are the list of 60 universities that get the letter from DOE about their funding cut. Not everyone has endowment the size of Columbia and it seems everyone is very afraid of the administration.

U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights Sends Letters to 60 Universities Under Investigation for Antisemitic Discrimination and Harassment

The Office for Civil Rights today sent letters to 60 institutions of higher education warning them of potential enforcement actions if they do not fulfill their obligations under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act to protect Jewish students on campus.

www.ed.gov

 

[Leggoo MFE]

Forbes - DOJ Memo Bad News For Employers Of H-1B Visa Holders And Other Immigrants​

Thanks for the article!
It seems to me that the administration is doubling down on the migrants residing illegaly and making the policies more strict. Having said that, this is a country's right, whatever the motivation may be. For sure in the short term the employers will have to think thrice before hiring an H1b aspirant.
However, it cannot be denied that quant roles demand highly skilled employees as the roles like Quant Trading have direct PnL impact and are very front office roles. In the end, the companies want to make money and if an H1b aspirant has a stellar profile with amazing grades and the perfect fit, the employer shouldn't ideally have a huge issue in giving them a chance. Students from prestigious universities like Columbia and Berkeley, who have excelled in their academics hopefully shouldn't find it difficult in the end.
The only thing that can deter it is the economic environment.
The above is solely my opinion and I would love to hear what others think, especially if I am missing something.

For context, I am also an aspirant for Fall 25 and as you can see, have been a member of this community for 7 years. So MFE is nothing sort of a calling for me. And I am losing my sleep too over whatever has been happening.

 

[Andy Nguyen]

If you are coming one of the countries in the list, it may be prudent to get contact the program right away to secure I-20 and then apply for F1 visa.

Draft List for New Travel Ban Proposes Trump Target 43 Countries

A draft circulating inside the administration lists three tiers of countries whose citizens may face restrictions on entering the United States.

www.nytimes.com

 

[Andy Nguyen]

Columbia University is laying off nearly 180 people today amid the fallout from terminated federal research grants.

Columbia cuts jobs amid feds battle | LinkedIn

University officials said they're still in discussions with the feds about restoring the affected grants, but in the meantime, the financial pressure is "intense."

www.linkedin.com

 

[Andy Nguyen]

Trump administration halts Harvard's ability to enroll international students. This is a major issue as international students are a major source of revenue for most universities.
In a news release confirming the administration’s move, the Department of Homeland Security sent a stark message to Harvard’s international students: “This means Harvard can no longer enroll foreign students, and existing foreign students must transfer or lose their legal status.”

Trump Administration Says It Is Halting Harvard’s Ability to Enroll International Students

The move was a major escalation in the administration’s efforts to pressure the college to fall in line with President Trump’s demands.

www.nytimes.com

 

[zephyrus]

Trump’s nominee for director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Joseph Edlow, has proposed ending the Optional Practical Training (OPT) programme calling it a "misapplication of the law". “What I want to see would be essentially a regulatory and sub-regulatory programme that would allow us to remove the ability for employment authorisations for F-1 students beyond the time they are in school,” Edlow said in response to a question from Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah).

Snubbing Trump, Immigration Nominee Would End Student Practical Training

A nominee for USCIS director said he will end Optional Practical Training for international students wanting to work after graduation.

www.forbes.com

 

[Andy Nguyen]

This is a really terrifying nightmare for college administrators, prospective students. It does not bode well for the image of American higher education as the #1 destination for the best and brightest.
This surely will send some applicants to UK or Canadian universities instead of the US.
Here is the universities with the highest percentage of international students as of Fall 2023. For many graduate STEM programs like quant masters, the % in many cases are over 90%.

 

[GQuant]

This is a really terrifying nightmare for college administrators, prospective students. It does not bode well for the image of American higher education as the #1 destination for the best and brightest.
This surely will send some applicants to UK or Canadian universities instead of the US.
Here is the universities with the highest percentage of international students as of Fall 2023. For many graduate STEM programs like quant masters, the % in many cases are over 90%.
View attachment 56807

I think that as long as these universities don’t foster and promote anti-American, anti-Western, anti-capitalistic, anti-meritocratic, and anti-Semitic rhetoric and values - which the Ivies, and Harvard specifically, have championed recently - they’ll be just fine.

 

[kombuchalover]

I think that as long as these universities don’t foster and promote anti-American, anti-Western, anti-capitalistic, anti-meritocratic, and anti-Semitic rhetoric - which the Ivies, and Harvard specifically, have championed recently - they’ll be just fine.

If you think Harvard is championing anti-capitalistic or anti-Semitic rhetoric then you’re a fool.

 

[GQuant]

If you think Harvard is championing anti-capitalistic or anti-Semitic rhetoric than you’re a fool.

https://www.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/FINAL-Harvard-ASAIB-Report-4.29.25.pdf

GLHF

 

[kombuchalover]

https://www.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/FINAL-Harvard-ASAIB-Report-4.29.25.pdf

GLHF

Addressing issues of anti-Semitic behavior is the opposite of championing anti-Semitic rhetoric so you have proven nothing. I would still like to see your evidence on these other claims that you seem to wholeheartedly believe, but I know that you have none. The beauty of universities in the USA is that American-values are at their core: Freedom of speech, belief and thought. US Universities are great because they challenge conventional wisdom and bias in any given direction and strive for greater truth. Instead of propagating misinformation that is in the best interest of their government. Harvard and the ivies certainly have problems, but championing anti-democratic, anti-western, and anti-capitalist values certainly isn’t one of them. Do they challenge those ideas in the classroom? of course they do! They’re universities! That’s what they’re supposed to do, but they depend on those values to be great.

 

[GQuant]

Addressing issues of anti-Semitic behavior is the opposite of championing anti-Semitic rhetoric so you have proven nothing. I would still like to see your evidence on these other claims that you seem to wholeheartedly believe, but I know that you have none. The beauty of universities in the USA is that American-values are at their core: Freedom of speech, belief and thought. US Universities are great because they challenge conventional wisdom and bias in any given direction and strive for greater truth. Instead of propagating misinformation that is in the best interest of their government. Harvard and the ivies certainly have problems, but championing anti-democratic, anti-western, and anti-capitalist values certainly isn’t one of them. Do they challenge those ideas in the classroom? of course they do! They’re universities! That’s what they’re supposed to do, but they depend on those values to be great.

The notion that you choose to believe Harvard's issues since October 2023 merely involved classroom discussions challenging these ideas - rather than an alarming wave of anti-Semitic, anti-American, pro-terrorist rhetoric thinly disguised as anti-Israel protests, which Harvard had long cultivated and tolerated - is as unrealistic as believing Joe Biden was only recently diagnosed with stage 4 prostate cancer.

Harvard's own report, which I shared above, explicitly acknowledges the university's failure in maintaining a safe campus environment. The administration is moving to revoke Harvard’s SEVP certification because the school still refuses to comply with DHS and give the information it requested on international students who actively agitated against core American values. I don't see how any international student body in any other university will be affected by this.

My initial comment aimed to counter the click-bait, fear-mongering comments in this thread - which seem to suggest as if the Trump administration indiscriminately targets international students. Instead, I sought to back other responses addressing OP's original question: If you come to the U.S. legally and respect American values without engaging in hostile agitation, you are unequivocally welcome here.

As an extra, regarding some of the other claims I made: Harvard champions DEI, is anti-meritocratic, and has violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th amendment for many years - admitting students using race-based affirmative action (ruled by the Supreme Court in 2023). Harvard champions anti-American values and rhetoric, coming dead last in a nationwide College Free Speech Ranking (https://www.axios.com/2024/09/05/harvard-columbia-student-free-speech-rank).

 

[MikeLawrence]

Addressing issues of anti-Semitic behavior is the opposite of championing anti-Semitic rhetoric so you have proven nothing. I would still like to see your evidence on these other claims that you seem to wholeheartedly believe, but I know that you have none. The beauty of universities in the USA is that American-values are at their core: Freedom of speech, belief and thought. US Universities are great because they challenge conventional wisdom and bias in any given direction and strive for greater truth. Instead of propagating misinformation that is in the best interest of their government. Harvard and the ivies certainly have problems, but championing anti-democratic, anti-western, and anti-capitalist values certainly isn’t one of them. Do they challenge those ideas in the classroom? of course they do! They’re universities! That’s what they’re supposed to do, but they depend on those values to be great.

I don't know too much about you, but I assume you aren't a US native. This is a wildly false picture of what our universities are like. You should read "Coddling of the American Mind."

My initial comment aimed to counter the click-bait, fear-mongering comments in this thread - which seem to suggest as if the Trump administration indiscriminately targets international students. Instead, I sought to back other responses addressing OP's original question: If you come to the U.S. legally and respect American values without engaging in hostile agitation, you are unequivocally welcome here.

... unless you attend Harvard.

I don't see how this latest move is supported with the administration's stated issues with the university. Even if you support the admin's other stated motives and actions, it is good for our country to bring in the top students around the world. I know of no drawback here- unless they gained access to knowledge they could take home and use against us, but we have measures against this already. Yes, some of them protested things and may have gone a bit far; yes, some of them are terrible people; but these characteristics are largely present on both sides of any issue, as are plenty of native US students, so I don't think the international's have done anything worthy of a broad ban.

Assume I agree that the school's admin is awful in every way. I'd still rather the world's top students came and studied under a bad school administration than a good one elsewhere. By and large the admin won't mess them up or radicalize them any more than the student already would have been at another school. Even if they are 'bad' students and admin, it's good for the country that they come study here. Being a destination is a plus, even if it also brings some students you don't agree with.

The best argument I can think of is that we'd rather fill their spots with comparable American talent because we'd rather natives get the best education. We do have a huge surplus of people qualified to attend Ivy's and could easily fill the spots. As far as I know, the admin didn't make this argument and it's just a publicity attack combined with a vague 'some international students are from countries who don't like us.' Even then, I think this is a terrible argument and closing our top schools to non-natives would kill much of their value.

 

[kombuchalover]

The notion that you choose to believe Harvard's issues since October 2023 merely involved classroom discussions challenging these ideas - rather than an alarming wave of anti-Semitic, anti-American, pro-terrorist rhetoric thinly disguised as anti-Israel protests, which Harvard had long cultivated and tolerated - is as unrealistic as believing Joe Biden was only recently diagnosed with stage 4 prostate cancer.

Harvard's own report, which I shared above, explicitly acknowledges the university's failure in maintaining a safe campus environment. The administration is moving to revoke Harvard’s SEVP certification because the school still refuses to comply with DHS and give the information it requested on international students who actively agitated against core American values. I don't see how any international student body in any other university will be affected by this.

My initial comment aimed to counter the click-bait, fear-mongering comments in this thread - which seem to suggest as if the Trump administration indiscriminately targets international students. Instead, I sought to back other responses addressing OP's original question: If you come to the U.S. legally and respect American values without engaging in hostile agitation, you are unequivocally welcome here.

As an extra, regarding some of the other claims I made: Harvard champions DEI, is anti-meritocratic, and has violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th amendment for many years - admitting students using race-based affirmative action (ruled by the Supreme Court in 2023). Harvard champions anti-American values and rhetoric, coming dead last in a nationwide College Free Speech Ranking (https://www.axios.com/2024/09/05/harvard-columbia-student-free-speech-rank).

…. I’ll let people make their own decisions. But in my opinion, the constitution and freedom is core to American values. Harvard won’t provide a list because they know the administration will detain and attempt to deport all of those students for little reason other than that they advocated for pro-Palestinian causes. This woman is a great recent example of why people should be afraid. If you can’t write your opinion on a controversial topic in a school newspaper without fearing deportation, that is as un-American as it gets: Rümeysa Öztürk, Tufts student held by Ice, released from Louisiana jail

P.S. Also your Axios list is funded by the Bradley Foundation, Sarah Scaife Foundation, and the Charles Koch Institute…. Not exactly apolitical….

 

[MikeLawrence]

…. I’ll let people make their own decisions. But in my opinion, the constitution and freedom is core to American values. Harvard won’t provide a list because they know the administration will detain and attempt to deport all of those students for little reason other than that they advocated for pro-Palestinian causes. This woman is a great recent example of why people should be afraid. If you can’t write your opinion on a controversial topic in a school newspaper without fearing deportation, that is as un-American as it gets: Rümeysa Öztürk, Tufts student held by Ice, released from Louisiana jail

Trump doubles down on demand for names, countries of Harvard's international students

Trump is doubling down on his demand for a list of names of international students enrolled at Harvard amid his administration's standoff with the university.

abcnews.go.com

A news report stating that Harvard already provided the information requested on international students.

https://www.npr.org/2025/05/27/nx-s1-5409576/trump-harvard-lawsuit-funding-international-students

And here the president of Harvard confirms that they gave all the information the government requested.

 

[kombuchalover]

Trump doubles down on demand for names, countries of Harvard's international students

Trump is doubling down on his demand for a list of names of international students enrolled at Harvard amid his administration's standoff with the university.

abcnews.go.com

A news report stating that Harvard already provided the information requested on international students.

https://www.npr.org/2025/05/27/nx-s1-5409576/trump-harvard-lawsuit-funding-international-students

And here the president of Harvard confirms that they gave all the information the government requested.

Great fair enough. My point still stands. Arresting people for peaceful protesting and writing in school newspapers is NOT AMERICAN. US universities might not be perfect, but jailing people for speaking their opinions is the opposite of fostering intellectual debate.

 

[GQuant]

Great fair enough. My point still stands. Arresting people for peaceful protesting and writing in school newspapers is NOT AMERICAN. US universities might not be perfect, but jailing people for speaking their opinions is the opposite of fostering intellectual debate.

Unless you come here to harass, agitate, be a racist and actively push agendas funded by foreign adversaries, you are more than welcome to come and study here. The 1st amendment doesn’t protect non-citizens.

 

[GQuant]

… P.S. Also your Axios list is funded by the Bradley Foundation, Sarah Scaife Foundation, and the Charles Koch Institute…. Not exactly apolitical….

See, I knew you’d say that, and you are right https://www.allsides.com/blind-surv...edia-bias-axios-cnbc-cnn-fox-news-and-oan-feb