The United States government has sent a memo to nine universities asking them to meet several requirements if they want “preferential access” to federal funds. Under a new 10-point memo issued by the Trump administration, US colleges must cap international undergraduate students at 15% of total enrollment. Moreover, no more than 5% of students can come from a single country.
Trump admin limits international students at US colleges
According to The Wall Street Journal, the memo instructs universities to reduce foreign student enrollment and overhaul departments that “belittle” conservative ideas. The White House has not publicly explained why these specific universities were chosen.
The memo is titled “A Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education”. Key requirements include:
- Admissions and financial aid must not consider race or sex for students, faculty, or staff.
- Universities must publicly share admissions data, including GPA and test scores, broken down by race, sex, and national origin.
- All applicants must take standardised tests like the SAT.
- Tuition fees must be frozen for five years, administrative costs reduced, and graduate earnings by program publicly shared.
- International students must not exceed 15% of undergraduate enrollment.
- Universities should distance themselves from dominant political ideology.
- Departments that “purposefully punish, belittle, and even spark violence against conservative ideas” must be abolished.
- Institutions with endowments over $2 million per undergraduate student must waive tuition for students in “hard science” programs.
- Screen foreign students for alignment with “American and Western values”
Universities that refuse to comply risk losing federal benefits, while those that participate could receive funding rewards.
Challenges for Indian Students
Colleges can still admit up to 15% international students overall, but the 5% cap per country means many Indian students, especially those targeting affordable campuses, may be unable to secure admission and will have to consider costlier alternatives. Since the memo also requires screening students for alignment with “American and Western values” and sharing this information with federal agencies. Some students worry this could affect visas or even lead to deportations.
A student from Warangal told Deccan Chronicle: “If the university collects information and sends it to the government, and if it does not align with their political ideologies, we might face major problems with our SEVIS, visas, or even deportations.”
Trump’s 15% cap, with a 5% limit per country, has been a major setback for Indian students, especially Telugu students, who make up a significant portion of applicants. Vishvanath Reddy, a student from Hyderabad pursuing a master’s in the US, said: “This is deeply unfair to international students. Immigrant students, especially from India, are the lifeblood of universities in the US. Trump cannot just put a five per cent cap on students belonging to a particular nationality. This will bring in a first-come-first-served policy, essentially penalising talented students.”
India currently sends the largest number of international students, with India and China contributing around 35% each of all foreign enrollments.
Which universities received the memo
The nine universities are:
- University of Arizona
- Brown University
- Dartmouth College
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
- University of Pennsylvania
- University of Southern California
- University of Texas
- University of Virginia
- Vanderbilt University
In July, Columbia University settled a $200 million investigation into alleged discrimination law breaches. Earlier, Harvard faced a $2 billion federal funding freeze over antisemitism issues, though a judge recently struck down the freeze.