Trump defends entry of foreign students to US, calls it 'good practice'

Donald Trump argued that reducing the number of foreign students would incur financial harm to the university system and lead some schools, including Black institutions, to go out of business

US President Donald Trump on Monday (local time) defended the entry of foreign students to the United States, calling it a “good practice” and warning that restricting their numbers could financially cripple the American higher education system, Bloomberg reported.

 

Speaking to Fox News, Trump said, “You don’t want to cut half of the students from all over the world that are coming into our country — destroy our entire university and college system — I don’t want to do that.”

‘Cutting numbers would destroy colleges’

 

When repeatedly pressed about why he would not reduce the number of international students, especially those from China, Trump countered that a sharp cut in foreign student enrolment would “destroy the entire university system” and push many institutions, including historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), out of business.

 

 

“We do have a lot of people coming in from China; we always have. We also have a massive system of colleges and universities. If we were to cut that in half, you would have half the colleges in the United States go out of business,” he said.  ALSO READ | OPT Under Threat: US Senator pushes Trump to terminate student work rule

Want school systems to thrive: Trump

 

Trump added that he views education as both a social and economic enterprise. “I want to see our school system thrive,” he said, adding that foreign students pay more than double compared to local students, generating trillions of dollars in revenue.

 

He also said, “It’s not that I want them, but I view it as a business.”

 

Officials have reportedly proposed reducing international enrolments under a new policy called the “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education”, which would cap foreign student numbers at 15 per cent of undergraduate enrolments and restrict students from any single country to no more than 5 per cent of total foreign visas.

Trump's remarks in contrast with policies

Trump’s statement stands in contrast to several measures his administration has introduced during his second term, which critics say have targeted international students. These include:

 

Revocation of visas and arrests of foreign students participating in pro-Palestinian protests.

 

Tighter scrutiny of international applications and compliance at leading US universities.

 

A May 2025 decision to revoke visas of Chinese students, which was later rolled back as part of a trade truce with Beijing.