New international student enrollment fell 17 percent last fall, IIE reports

The Department of Homeland Security memo, sent to colleges and universities earlier this week, represents a significant change from how international students have historically been able to use curricular practical training, or CPT. Under the new interpretation of federal regulations, international students may complete pre-graduation internships only when the employer has a partnership with their school, and only when the practical training is a graduation requirement for all students in the same course of study — not just for international students.

A DHS spokesman framed the change as enforcement against what the administration describes as widespread abuse of the student visa system. “Schools and employers should consider themselves on notice: under President Trump, abuse of this generous system will no longer be tolerated,” the spokesman said in a statement to The Wall Street Journal.

The memo warns that schools that fail to follow the regulations “may result in an institution losing certification to enroll foreign students.”

University officials at two institutions warned that the change would limit their international students’ professional options and could redirect prospective applicants to schools in other countries.

“The absence of the opportunity to engage in learning experiences through internships could cause students to reassess their plans to study in the United States,” said Ivor Emmanuel, director of Berkeley International Office at UC Berkeley. “International students are aware of the value that employers place in students gaining hands-on experience that is directly linked to the academic major.”

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign also alerted its international students to the change.

The internship restriction is the latest in a series of Trump administration actions on student visas. Last month, the administration overhauled the longstanding “duration of status” rule, which had allowed international students to remain in the country for the length of their academic programs. Under the new rules, all international students must apply to extend their visas after four years — including those enrolled in five- or six-year Ph.D. programs — raising the possibility that some students may not finish their studies.

Officials are also finalizing a separate policy that would require employers to pay a $100,000 fee to hire an international graduate through Optional Practical Training, or OPT, the program that allows graduates to work in the United States after completing their degrees. The fee, if finalized, would push most international students to leave the country after graduation rather than build careers in the U.S.

The enrollment impact is already measurable. The number of new international students enrolling at American colleges fell 17 percent last fall, according to a report issued in part by the Institute of International Education.

Sandra Ding, a Chinese student at UC Berkeley who pays about $75,000 a year in tuition — considerably more than in-state students — said the internship change is unnerving international students on campus. Ding told the Journal that she considered offers from universities in Singapore and the United Kingdom before choosing Berkeley because she believed it positioned her best for professional success. Asked whether she would enroll in a U.S. college if she had to choose again, she said she would not.

“This is constraining international students from thriving and achieving success,” Ding said.