US colleges brace for financial strain as international student numbers fall

International students are finding it harder to secure US visas, and colleges are paying the price.

Across the country, schools that rely on foreign enrollment are facing steep financial losses as visa delays and tougher scrutiny under the Trump administration keep students away, as per a report by Associated Press.

At the University of Central Missouri, only half as many new international graduate students showed up this fall compared to last year, despite strong demand. For the small public university, where international students typically generate nearly a quarter of tuition revenue, the decline is a major blow.

“We aren’t able to subsidise domestic students as much when we have fewer international students who are bringing revenue to us,” Roger Best, the university’s president, told AP.

Financially vulnerable colleges at risk

An Associated Press analysis found that more than 100 colleges with modest endowments (less than $250,000 per student) depend on international students for at least 20 per cent of enrollment.

That dependence has become risky as the federal government increases vetting of student visas, halts new appointments, and considers limits on how long students can stay.

Since international students don’t qualify for federal aid and often pay double or triple in-state tuition, their presence allows universities to offer more scholarships to domestic students, added AP.Students caught in the middle

For some students, the hurdles are personal as well as financial. Ahmed Ahmed, a Sudanese freshman at the University of Rochester, was nearly blocked from traveling after the administration announced a travel ban on 12 countries.

“I feel like I made it through, but I’m one of the last people to make it through,” Ahmed told AP.

Colleges cut costs to cope

To manage the fallout, universities are freezing raises, delaying projects, and tightening budgets.

Central Missouri has already postponed infrastructure improvements, while Lee University in Tennessee expects fewer than 60 international students this fall, down from 82 last year.

“Since we’re a smaller liberal arts campus, tuition cost is our main, primary revenue,” said Roy Y Chan, the school’s director of graduate studies.

The university has already raised tuition by 20 per cent over five years.