The number of international students attending Bloomington-Normal colleges and universities will be down significantly when classes begin this month because of the anti-immigration stance of the Trump administration.
Last year, there were nearly 800 international students attending Illinois State University (613), Illinois Wesleyan University (82), and Heartland Community College (60). In recent years, ISU has tried to grow the enrollment of students from other countries. That's tougher now.
The Trump administration paused visa interviews for several weeks in June. It has banned people from 19 countries from entering the U.S. It has limited visa interviews at embassies and consulates. And it is screening the social media presence of potential students.
In a statement, ISU said it estimated the entering class of international students will be about a third smaller. Though their overall numbers are small, Heartland and IWU entering classes both will be down around 17% compared with last year. Last year’s IWU international student cohort was above the post-pandemic average, said a spokesperson.
ISU said it's expecting about 100 new international students to show up for classes, though it won’t have a precise count until after the 10th day of classes. That number is equivalent to roughly 17% of last year’s total international student enrollment.
ISU said a "large number" of students deferred their admission. Heartland will be down about 10 students they know of, and as of last Friday, Amy Pawlik, Heartland's associate vice president for Enrollment and Student Services, said the college still had had three students without visa approval.
"Increased anxiety and increased wait times. We do have some students who are probably not going to be able to return ... next year for their second year just due to delays in processing," said Pawlik.
At Illinois Wesleyan, the 14 entering students from other countries the university is expecting is down four from last year. As of Friday, though, only three of the 14 had their visa approvals. IWU said it will offer deferred admission if they can't get appointments.
The Trump administration review of social media accounts of applicants makes a judgment about whether a student has said things that could be construed as anti-American. That change came in the wake of visa revocations last spring for students who were vocal in their criticism of U.S. and Israeli policies on Gaza.
At the time, ISU said it had a "small number" of those revocations for existing students.
Pawlik said even students who have not been speaking out about Gaza, U.S. policies, or the administration are feeling stressed because they feel like the administration is looking for reasons to deny them a visa.
"What if I forget one of the social media platforms I used to be a member of? Is that going to keep me from getting in?" said Pawlik.
In fact, there are a variety of ways foreign students are feeling stress right now.
"Wondering if we have any insights into what might be changing for them in terms of processes. If their country is going to end up on a banned list in the next round potentially. If tensions between their home country and the U.S. grow, is that going to make it harder to obtain those visas?" asked Pawlik.
Administrators have few answers.
Pawlik said there's been a lot of back-and-forth about what requirements might be and what policy changes might happen in the future, especially to the duration of stay for F1 student visa status. If that decreases, some students could have a harder time completing their programs within that shorter time frame, she said.
The landscape has radically changed since Trump started his second term.
National Association of Foreign Student Advisors guidance early this year suggested flat-to-modest growth in the number of international students. The association now expects a 30%–40% decline in new international student enrollment in the United States. That's in line with ISU forecasts. The association predicted a possible 15% national drop in enrollment of foreign students (-150,000), and that looks like it could be about right for all three McLean County institutions of higher education.
Pawlik said even returning students who already have visas are worried about traveling within the U.S. for sports or club activities.
"In particular, if they are leaving the state of Illinois, they have expressed concern about, am I going to be susceptible to being detained by ICE? Should I be carrying additional documentation on me? What should I be doing in this event?" said Pawlik.
She said Heartland is reminding students, more than usual, not to break any laws, even small laws, adding there may be more scrutiny on things that can get a student visa revoked than there used to be.
Colleges and universities like to have international students for a variety of reasons. They often pay full tuition. They contribute to the campus culture and broaden the experiences of U.S. students. Those factors will diminish with the drop in foreign student attendance. And there are economic impacts.
International students spend money while in this country and often stick around after graduation and get jobs in the U.S., sometimes high-paying positions in crucial sectors.
The National Association of Foreign Student Advisors predicted the estimated international student enrollment decline could cost nearly $7 billion in lost revenue — $380 million in Illinois alone — and more than 60,000 jobs nationwide.
Last year, the association said the more than 1.1 million international students who came to the U.S. supported more than 378,000 jobs.
