Anxiety Builds For International Applicants & Students As Trump Prepares To Take Office

Fearing that the return-on-investment calculus for a U.S. business degree has changed dramatically with Trump’s re-election, a growing number of international applicants and students are bracing for an uncertain future. At this point, the heightened anxiety is more a function of what occurred during Trump’s first term as President and what he and his advisors have said publicly about student and H-1B visas as well as the future of the OPT (optional practical training) program.

When Trump was last President, U.S. schools  experienced a drop in international students, largely attributed to the widespread perception that the U.S. had become less welcome to students from abroad. Some international MBA students even declined to go on global immersions for fear that they would not be allowed back into the U.S. And more international students faced prolonged wait times for their F-1 student visas. Already, a growing number of U.S. collages and universities. including Harvard and MIT, have advised their current international students to return to campus before Trump’s inauguration office over concerns that he might impose travel bans

Admission officials at business schools and MBA admission consultants say they are fielding more questions about future changes in visas and work policies, mostly from Indian and African candidates who are increasingly weighing their options. “This is a hot issue right now,” says Rishabh Gupta, founder of Gyan One Universal, a leading MBA admissions consultant in India. “People started raising some questions on this ever since Trump was confirmed as the GOP candidate in March. At that time, the key question was around his stance towards H-1B visas and the future potential of staying on in the U.S. post-MBA. Then, in June, when Trump announced that he actually favors a faster path to citizenship for foreign nationals graduating from U.S. colleges, there was a general wave of hope.”

A BIG QUESTION FOR INTERNATIONALS: ‘HOW CAN I ENSURE THAT MY INVESTMENT IN A U.S. MBA REMAINS WORTHWHILE?’

Gupta says there are three major worries that center on visas, post-graduate employment opportunities in the U.S., and the cultural environment. “There are concerns around new visa policies that may hinder staying on in the U.S. post-MBA for international students,” he says. “There are worries on whether top employers will still be able to recruit international graduates in big numbers, both legally and economically.  And there are concerns around whether the U.S. will continue to remain as open or welcoming for international students.”

For most international students, a U.S. MBA is already an expensive proposition. So the mere uncertainty over visa and work policies can change the perceived ROI of the degree. That is why Gupta is hearing more applicants ask this question: “With potential hindrances to a stable post-MBA career in the U.S., and costs at an all-time high, with the economic environment uncertain, how can I ensure that my investment in a U.S. MBA remains worthwhile?”

Worries over future U.S. policy, moreover, may impact international applicants who are not weighing a top tier MBA. “Our applicants typically go to top schools so the allure of H/S/W (Harvard/Stanford/Wharton) beats any pessimism about Trump,” says Rajdeep Chimni, founder of Gateway Admissions in India. “Our applicant numbers are up and that could lead to a reasoning that all is well and many people do not perceive any issue with a Trump presidency. Trump says things that seem pro the ‘educated’ immigrant, though you never know what he may finally do or not do.”

MANY BUSINESS SCHOOLS RELY HEAVILY ON INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

During his first term as President, Trump quickly signed an executive order that closed the country’s borders to people from seven predominantly Muslim countries, including Venezuela and Syria. He later added six more countries to that list, including Nigeria and Myanmar.

International student enrollment in the U.S. peaked in the 2016-2017 academic year at 903,127, with an additional 175,695 graduates in the U.S. under the OPT program, according to Open Doors International. After Trump took office in January of 2017, international enrollments fell to a low of 710,210 in 2020-2021, though some of the reduction was certainly due to the pandemic. Since then, international student enrollment has grown steadily to 883,908 in 2023-2024, with a record 242,782 graduates taking advantage of the OPT program to work in the U.S. The vast majority of these students are undergraduates, with just 18,204 pursuing professional degrees. Not surprisingly, India represents the biggest chunk, accounting for nearly 30% of the international students, while China is next, with about 25%.

Many business schools, including some top-tier players, have steadily increased the percentage of international students in their MBA cohorts as domestic application volume has declined in the past decade. In fact, 50% or more than half of the latest full-time MBA cohorts at Georgetown, Indiana, Washington Foster, Carnegie Mellon, and Yale are from outside the U.S. (see U.S. MBA Programs With The Most International Students). At the height of anti-immigration rhetoric during Trump’s last term, 50 business school deans signed on to a white paper that publicly called for major reforms in immigration policies that they say restricts talent mobility and poses a major threat to the long-term competitiveness of the U.S. One analysis showed that the U.S. was considered for study by just 50% of international business school applicants in 2019, dropping from 62% a year earlier and 67% in 2017. Scared off by anti-immigration rhetoric and worries over work visas, the decline of international students in MBA applicant pools is a major reason behind what was then a five-year drop in applications to full-time MBA programs in the U.S.

THE BIGGEST THREAT: CHANGES TO THE OPT PROGRAM FOR GRADUATES OF STEM PROGRAMS

Publicly at least, some business schools are putting a more positive spin on whatever changes may come from a new Trump Administration that takes hold on Jan. 20th. “In my several decades of experience, I have noted that it’s really hard for an administration to quickly change the decision-making process on the F-1 visa,” says Larry Mueller, assistant dean for global advising at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business. “The process for this spring is already underway.”

Typically, State Department staffers are somewhat immune to political pressure.

Many believe the greatest threat is over the OPT-STEM program that allows international students  to work in the U.S. for up to three years after graduation. Most U.S. business schools have rushed to get their graduate program STEM designated so international students can gain the OPT advantage if they land a job in a STEM field. The appointment of Stephen Miller, a long-time Trump advisor, as deputy chief of policy for Trump may well be a signal for new visas and work restrictions. Miller is known for his tough stance on immigration, having argued that Miller argues that the H-1B program can lead to American worker displacement and wage suppression. The Trump Administration’s scrutiny of the OPT program last time led to uncertainty, though efforts to dismantle or limit OPT were not successful.

The worst case scenario would be an elimination of OPT for STEM grads. “That would not affect the F-1 process but it would affect the hiring,” says a business school official at a top school. “Then companies would be saying I don’t know if I want to take a chance on hiring somebody who only has one year to be in our organization if they don’t get an H-1B through the lottery. But it’s just a lot of rhetoric because people have put this in place to bring that intellectual capital into an American firm at least for those three years. There is a threat if we are talking about engineering or industrial complex jobs. I think it is less under threat with regards to jobs in financial services or consulting where at least historically the statements that have come from Trump administrators have been that they are looking to capitalize on the intellect and international knowledge base that these students bring to the U.S. It is not a risk of data or security.”

‘SHOULD I CONSIDER MBA PROGRAMS IN OTHER COUNTRIES?’

The most common questions currently being asked by international students reflect all of these concerns. Gupta says Indian applicants are wondering “if the F-1 visa program or OPT be changed and will recruitment policies for hiring international workers be changed?” More candidates are weighing non-U.S. alternatives. ‘Should I consider MBA programs in other countries like the U.K. or Europe?’

Australia, Canada and the U.K., however, have their own policy challenges when it comes to recruiting international candidates today. In fact, the more open current policy in the U.S. has made some university officials hopeful that the U.S. can increase international student numbers which currently only make up 6% of the total student population.

Unfortunately, the answers to these questions are all speculative. It is not yet clear what, if any, changes are likely to occur that would impact international students and graduates in the near term. Business school admission officials are encouraging international applicants to apply for their F-1 student visas as early as possible. “Be prepared to be asked for additional information or be prepared to go to the process a second time,” explains one B-school dean. “Be ready to make the clear statement why this university, why the MBA, and make clear your intention to return to your home country once OPT is completed.”

DON’T MISS: U.S. B-SCHOOLS WITH THE MOST STUDENTS FROM INDIA AND CHINA or B-SCHOOL DEANS TAKE A STAND ON IMMIGRATION POLICY