Key points
- Trump admin previously tightened visa rules
- 30–40pc drop in foreign students’ enrolment predicted
- Chinese students vital for US university funding
ISLAMABAD: The Trump administration has generally taken a tough stance on international students, especially those from China.
It was unexpected when President Trump recently stated that the US not only wanted but needed Chinese students, saying the country would welcome 600,000 of them into American universities.
Trump: We’ll allow up to 600k Chinese students on Visas, to come into the U.S.
There are currently 277k, according to @grok. Doesn’t seem like a MAGA move – Chinese student visas were reduced before, due to security concerns. Many were spies.
WTF is the thinking behind this!? pic.twitter.com/Bx0blzrfVp
— Emergent Perspective (@_emergent_) August 25, 2025
“It’s very insulting to say students can’t come here,” Trump said during a cabinet meeting at the White House. “I like that their students come here. I like that other countries’ students come here,” according to The New York Times.
He added, “And you know what would happen if they didn’t? Our college system would go to hell very quickly.”
However, this message contrasts with earlier policies that made it more difficult for foreign students to enter the US. This year, the administration introduced stricter vetting procedures for international students.
Trump: We’ll allow up to 600k Chinese students on Visas, to come into the U.S.
There are currently 277k, according to @grok. Doesn’t seem like a MAGA move – Chinese student visas were reduced before, due to security concerns. Many were spies.
WTF is the thinking behind this!? pic.twitter.com/Bx0blzrfVp
— Emergent Perspective (@_emergent_) August 25, 2025
Since then, Chinese, Indian, Nigerian, and Japanese applicants have faced long delays or an inability to secure visa appointments. One analysis predicts a 30–40 per cent drop in new international student enrolment this autumn due to these issues.
Revoking student visas
The administration has also taken steps to revoke thousands of student visas, although it has not specified the nationalities affected
Trump says he will allow 600,000 Chinese to study in US – double current figure
US president says his administration is going to ‘get along good’ with China, and reiterates that Xi Jinping has invited him to visit China
But….the magnets..
https://t.co/SoKjjagMFp— Paul Triolo (@pstAsiatech) August 26, 2025
Despite this, Trump’s recent remarks have been more conciliatory. While meeting South Korea’s president, he reaffirmed the importance of allowing Chinese students in: “We’re going to allow, it’s very important, 600,000 students. It’s very important.”
China consistently ranks among the top two sources of international students in the US, alongside India.
In the 2023–24 academic year, over 277,000 Chinese students were enrolled in American institutions, most at the undergraduate level. These students typically pay full tuition, providing vital income for universities — a point Trump acknowledged.
