Some prospective and current international students have reconsidered or altered their U.S. higher education plans for this academic year after President Donald Trump’s administration announced a travel ban that went into effect June 9.
The proclamation announces a “full suspension” on immigrant and nonimmigrant entry from 12 countries: Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. There are also partial entry restrictions for nationals of Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.
Here’s what to know about the travel ban and effects on international students.
Why Was the Travel Ban Imposed?
According to Trump’s June 5 proclamation, the travel ban — similar to the one announced in his first term — was issued due to some countries having higher-than-normal rates of visa overstays, “which increases burdens on immigration and law enforcement components of the United States, and often exacerbates other risks related to national security and public safety.”
Trump pointed to an executive order he signed upon taking office Jan. 20, which stated that “it is the policy of the United States to protect its citizens from aliens who intend to commit terrorist attacks, threaten our national security, espouse hateful ideology, or otherwise exploit the immigration laws for malevolent purposes.”
The June 5 proclamation also stated that the restrictions are intended to make sure that foreign citizens allowed to enter “do not intend to harm Americans or our national interests” and “ensure that admitted aliens and aliens otherwise already present in the United States do not bear hostile attitudes toward its citizens, culture, government, institutions, or founding principles, and do not advocate for, aid, or support designated foreign terrorists or other threats to our national security.”
On the campaign trail and since taking office for the second time, Trump has condemned the behavior of some international students participating in protests across the U.S., particularly on college campuses and related to the war in Gaza.
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The travel restrictions will be assessed within 90 days and every 180 days thereafter to determine whether any suspensions and limitations “should be continued, terminated, modified or supplemented,” according to the proclamation.
“We are hopeful that perhaps there can be an exemption made for nonimmigrant visas, like students,” says Sarah Spreitzer, vice president and chief of staff of government relations at the American Council on Education. “In Trump’s first administration, the third travel ban, in many cases, exempted nonimmigrant visas, so that would include student visas.”
Shortly after the travel ban was implemented, the Trump administration asked 36 countries to comply with new vetting requirements within 60 days — by around mid-August — or risk facing a U.S. entry ban, according to news reports. Those include Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Dominica, Ethiopia, Egypt, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kyrgyzstan, Liberia, Malawi, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, South Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Tonga, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
“We have not heard anything yet on these additional 36 countries,” says Zuzana Cepla Wootson, deputy director of federal policy at the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, an alliance of college leaders dedicated to increasing public understanding of immigration policies. “However, we do know that the State Department has updated its visa reciprocity schedule, sort of limiting F-1 and J-1 visa holders from 26 countries to three-month single-entry visas. And all these 26 countries are on the list for the potential expansion of the travel ban.”
What Can Students Affected by the Ban Do?
Determining the total number of affected students is difficult, experts say. Of the 12 countries under full suspension, Iran had the highest number of students — 12,430 in 2023-2024 — attending U.S. institutions, according to the latest Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange published annually by the Institute of International Education. The other 11 averaged about 590 students, ranging from 66 in Chad to 3,222 in Burma, per the report.
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“We’ve heard from quite a lot of students, particularly from the travel ban countries, and we’ve certainly heard their distress,” says Fanta Aw, executive director and CEO of NAFSA: Association of International Educators. ?”Many of these students have been preparing for years because the process of admission, the process of getting into a doctoral program, for example, then getting your immigration documents issued and all of that, takes a very long time. And they really feel like the rug has been pulled from under them. And many have really talked about the fact that this has been really much more politically motivated than about education.”
Not only does it affect their “dreams and aspirations,” she adds, “but really the contributions that they were truly hoping to make.”
There are two different affected student groups: students in the U.S. and those who were outside the U.S. when the ban went into effect. International students from a restricted country who were in the U.S. before June 9 with valid visas can remain in the country to study, experts say.
However, Aw says, “if for whatever reason you have to leave the United States, i.e., you need to go overseas to do research as part of your program or you have a family emergency and you need to go overseas, you could be barred from re-entry into the United States once you leave. So while in the country, not an issue. But if you decide to leave for whatever reason, then that is when you’re very much at risk of being able to return to the United States.”
On the other hand, she adds, there’s “no action” international students who live in a restricted country and were outside of the U.S. on June 9 can take unless the travel ban is removed. There may be exemptions, such as if a student has dual citizenship.
Students might be able to enter the U.S. “under the other citizenship that is not part of a travel ban,” Aw says. “But even with that, it’s at the discretion of the consulate officers to determine whether or not (your) other citizenship can trump this new one. So it’s really very difficult, next to no possibility of being able to come in the country if you’re outside of the country June 9.”
“Every single case is individual,” says Wootson, so she advises current and prospective international students to speak with an immigration lawyer. ?Students can also share their stories to “become a part of any effort there may be to change the administration’s decisions.”
How Are Colleges Supporting Affected Students?
Colleges are limited in the actions they can take, but many are providing support to international students.
“Our institutions are trying to be as flexible as possible, not just with the travel ban, but with the possible delays in student visa processing,” Spreitzer says. “So they may be extending the start date for students. Just like we did during COVID, I think our institutions are trying to support our international students as much as possible, so that may mean allowing them to stay in the dorms over the summer because they can’t return to their home country.”
Some U.S. colleges also have campuses abroad or agreements with universities in other countries where admitted students can study, Wootson says.
She adds that while the administration’s overarching reason for the ban is national security, “international students are basically the most vetted group — next to refugees — of nonimmigrants coming to the United States with visas. Higher education institutions are really very committed to protecting our national security. But I think that the ban actually accomplishes the opposite of that and undermines our overall global standing and harms our economic competitiveness.”
[Read: International Student Services at U.S. Colleges: What to Know]
How Could Changing Immigration Policies Affect International Student Enrollment?
The travel ban, which some experts say has created a chilling effect on international student enrollment in the U.S., is among several policy issues facing international students in recent months, including visa delays.
?”We had the State Department suddenly start revoking visas for students that were already here in the United States and the Department of Homeland Security terminating their SEVIS records in the Student and Exchange Visitor Program,” Spreitzer says. “So students were suddenly being forced to end their studies and return to their home countries. Then this summer, we had a pause of about three weeks in student visa interviews so that the State Department could implement a new social media vetting plan. We’re concerned that that’s delaying some of the student visa processing for the upcoming academic year.”
Preliminary July 29 projections by NAFSA and international education research partner JB International predict a 30-40% decline in new international student enrollment — leading to a 15% decline in overall enrollment this fall and loss of $7 billion within local economies and more than 60,000 jobs.
Unless there are “significant changes in the government’s position around international students coming to the U.S.,” the effects will be long-term, Aw says.
“?This is not going to be a one-year problem,” she says. “It’s going to be a multiyear problem. Students who were considering coming in 2026 will be discouraged and will be looking to other destinations because they will see the precedent and say, ‘Well, if these students can’t make it, why should I even give it a try?’ So this will have a reverberating effect, not just for 2025, but 2026 and well beyond.”
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FAQ: What International Students Should Know About Trump’s Travel Ban originally appeared on usnews.com
