Trump’s new ruling to limit number of foreign students studying in US; How will it affect Indian students?
New Delhi: US President Donald Trump is consistently making decisions regarding foreign students that have made studying in the US difficult. A memo has been issued by the White House, which proposes limiting the number of foreign students coming to a single campus for undergraduate studies to 15%. Similarly, it is also proposed not to admit more than 5% of students from any one country. This decision is worrying for India.
India has highest number of students going to US
India is among the countries with the highest number of students going to the US for higher education. Currently, it appears that Donald Trump’s decree could shatter the aspirations of Indian students to study in the US. However, it’s important to note that the instructions provided in the memo were only received by nine American universities. Many are now wondering if Trump’s decision will truly hinder Indian students’ ability to study in the US. Let’s understand this.
Will Trump’s decision have an impact on Indians?
Most Indians go to the US to pursue master’s degrees. The number of students from India who go for undergraduate courses is very low. Even in the worst-case scenario, Indian applicants have numerous options for studying in the US and will not exceed the 5% limit. It’s also important to note that Trump’s decision is not a universal rule, but rather a proposal regarding government funding.
What did Forbes say?
According to Forbes, the number of undergraduate students in the US is 15.3 million. Of these, the number of foreign undergraduate students is approximately 334,000. This is a 1.4% decline compared to last year. Currently, the number of foreign students pursuing undergraduate studies in the US is only 2.2%. This means that the number of foreign students is significantly lower than the 15% limit imposed on any American university.
Undergraduate students in top-ranked universities
The number of undergraduate students studying in the top-ranked universities is around 6 million. The Launchpad rankings indicate universities suitable for foreign students. This ranking indicates that the total number of undergraduate students is 6.1 million. A 15% limit per campus for foreign students means that over 900,000 foreign students can enroll in undergraduate programmes. Even after this, approximately 600,000 seats will remain unfilled.
As for India, there are more seats for Indians than the limit. For example, if we combine all universities’ 5% per-campus limit, theoretically, 306,500 Indian students could enroll in undergraduate courses. By the 2025-26 academic year, approximately 36,000 Indians will be pursuing undergraduate courses across the United States. This means that there will be plenty of seats for Indians.
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