US Government Proposes International Students Cap on Top 9 US Universities

Key Proposals in the White House Memo

These are the key proposals that are included in the memo:

• International Student Cap: There cannot be more than 15% of the undergraduate student population in a university on US student visas, and there can only be up to 5% of students from any one country.

• Data Sharing with Government: Universities must share all the data on international students, including the disciplinary records, with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the State Department if they ask for it.

• Tuition Freeze: Universities must freeze the tuition fees for five years, making US higher education affordable for international students.

• Mandatory Standardized Testing: Standardized tests like the SAT, ACT, etc. would become mandatory again for getting admission to US universities.

• Ideological Screening of Students: US universities must give admission to only those international students who align with ‘American values’ and refuse those who are deemed ‘hostile’ to the US or its allies.

• Ban on DEI and Political Demonstrations: The memo asks the universities not to hire as per race or sex and disband departments that punish conservative speech, and should not allow any political demonstrations that harass students or hamper the campus operations.

• Restrictions on Faculty Speech: There should not be any perceived bias in academia by the faculty and staff in the form of any political speech.

• Overseas Funding Disclosure: Institutions must disclose all foreign funding associated with US higher education.

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What was the impact on international students and universities?

Many universities in the memo have seen international students exceeding the proposed student cap. For example, more than 25% of the international students at the University of Southern California are from outside the US, while only one-quarter of the student body is international at Brown University. If the memo is approved and becomes a policy, these universities would then have to minimise their international student intake to align with the new limits, affecting a large number of students worldwide.

The universities that comply with the new rules would get:

• Access to federal research grants and student loans

• Favorable treatment under the U.S. tax code

• Smoother visa processing for faculty and scholars

What about the legal and political backlash?

The announcement was made shortly after the federal court stopped the government from deporting international students who participated in the pro-Palestinian protests. After the announcement, free speech groups, civil rights organizations, and leaders are retorting the new policy. The government’s demand for more student data—especially after clashes with schools like Harvard and Columbia—has also raised serious concerns about privacy and university control.

Conclusion

While the memo is targeting just 9 universities as of now, it can in the future be an effort to reshape higher education in the US. There is a strong resistance from universities that constitute a large number of international student populations and global partnerships. If the memo gets approved, US universities would have to follow the federal conditions to get the funding.