After thousands of international students had their visas revoked in April, the Trump administration reversed course, saying it is restoring the student visa registrations of potentially thousands of foreign students in the United States. The Justice Department announced the decision in a filing April 25 in U.S. district court in Massachusetts, where a lawsuit had been filed in response to the terminations.
Data from Inside Higher Ed shows at least 280 colleges and universities reported more than 1,800 international students and recent graduates had their legal status altered by the State Department.
Universities reported some students being forced to leave the United States immediately, in many cases after discovering their visas were canceled in the federal Student Exchange and Visitor Information System (SEVIS) or via an unexpected text or email.
Universities and the government use the database to track foreign students, and students rely on it for their authorization to remain in the country. The terminations sparked more than 100 lawsuits. NAFSA, the Association of International Educators, has tallied roughly 1,400 revocations.
Erasing records from SEVIS is different from revoking visas, USA TODAY has reported. These records allow international students to stay in the United States legally and attend classes.
As of the 2023-2024 school year, an estimated 1.1 million international students study in the United States. USA TODAY reporters looked at which universities host the most international students and where the concentration of student visas were revoked.
A database tracking total student visa terminations found that more than 1,800 international students and recent graduates had their legal status changed. The data is based on public reports and direct correspondence compiled by Inside Higher Ed. The number could be even higher − the database notes that several universities did not indicate the amount of visas that had been revoked.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in April that he revoked at least 300 visas from students. And at Colorado State University, officials said six students there lost their visas. It was unclear whether the students have the right to appeal their visa revocations, USA TODAY reported in April.
Reported cases of student visa terminations are shown in the map below. A number with an asterisk indicates a positive change in the count, such as a visa reinstatement, according to the author of the database.
The California State University system reported a total 70 student visas revoked, and the University of Texas system reported 170, according to Inside Higher Ed.
Immigration experts said they've never seen the federal government make such sweeping changes to the ordinarily low-profile process of hosting international students. The National Immigration Project is challenging the visa cancellations, which have affected students in California, Colorado, Kentucky, Ohio, Michigan, Massachusetts and Florida, among others.
According to the federal government, California is home to the largest number of international students, and the most popular majors among international students are computer science, language, and business administration and management.
People from India and China represent the largest proportion of international students, accounting for about half of the overall enrollment, according to federal officials.
New York University has the largest concentration of international students with 22% of its student body from foreign countries, an Open Doors report shows. Northeastern University in Boston follows with the largest international student body population.
Chief U.S. Judge Dennis Saylor set another hearing in the Massachusetts case for May 6.