The Trump administration on Wednesday announced plans to “aggressively” revoke visas of Chinese students, escalating its clampdown on international education and sending ripples through U.S. higher institutions that depend heavily on foreign tuition.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio unveiled the move, which targets students with ties to the Chinese Communist Party or those in sensitive fields, a day after suspending visa appointments globally. The decision comes amid growing tensions with China and criticism over the administration’s handling of university protests and foreign student policies.
Rubio stated that visa criteria would be tightened further, with future applications from China and Hong Kong facing increased scrutiny. “We will aggressively revoke visas for Chinese students,” Rubio said. “This is about protecting national security and ensuring our values are upheld.”
The U.S. hosted 277,398 Chinese students in the 2023–24 academic year, making them a key financial pillar for American universities. But recent visa policies are already fueling uncertainty, even for students from U.S.-allied regions like Taiwan.
China responded swiftly. Foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning urged Washington to “safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of international students.”
In parallel, Trump has turned up the heat on elite institutions like Harvard University, which has resisted federal pressure amid student protests. The administration has sought to bar foreign students at Harvard and cut federal research funding, claiming the school promotes “woke” ideology and fails to align with American values.
A court temporarily halted the foreign student ban pending a Thursday hearing coinciding with Harvard’s graduation ceremonies in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Meanwhile, the pause in visa appointments has already impacted thousands, including a Taiwanese PhD student accepted to a California university. “All I can do now is wait and hope,” the student said.
Harvard has launched legal challenges against Trump’s measures, while some students are rethinking plans to study in the U.S.
“I don’t know if I’d pursue a PhD here,” said Jack, a British graduate in the history of medicine. “Six years is a long time.”
The extent to which the latest visa action marks a new escalation remains unclear, but it underscores the administration’s broader push to reshape American education through a nationalist lens.
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