A video of New York University (NYU) graduates sharing their joy about landing jobs right after graduation has turned into a point of controversy after social media users claimed that almost none of the students featured were American.

As reported by The Times of India, while many users complained that “all of them were Indians,” this was not entirely accurate, as most appeared to be Asians.

The video did not reveal their names, and assumptions about nationality were based solely on the graduates’ appearance and accents.

Captioned “NYU just posted a video of where their graduates are heading to work after college. Anyone notice anything in this video?” The clip was widely seen as rage bait. 

Internet reacts

While some netizens criticised the large number of immigrant students in the video, others stepped in to praise the diversity in American universities, and the workforce.

“Nice dog whistle. The reason the US is an economic powerhouse is because of it’s cognitively elite immigrants. But yeah, keep being mad at them,” one wrote.

Another posted, “All of them must be sent back. We must reclaim our universities for Americans.”

The comments ranged from questions about access and affordability.

One comment read, “Why is America educating its enemies? I’ve heard that they also get scholarships and aid. What are we doing here?” 

Another said, “All the Indians are from India with accents not American born and they’re taking jobs away from American born graduates.”

Criticism extends to workplace diversity

Others mocked the visual, with one user writing, “Too much brown. And a lot of purple,” referring to the colour of the graduation robes.

With major tech companies announcing significant layoffs this year, the discussion has also tied into broader concerns about hiring trends, and how many opportunities actually go to American-born graduates.