For thousands of aspiring international students, the dream of studying in the United States has collided with a new and formidable barrier: the Trump administration’s travel ban. Announced in June 2025, the policy imposes sweeping restrictions on citizens from 19 countries, derailing the plans of many who had spent years preparing for an American education. The Associated Press reports that the effects have rippled through families, academic institutions, and the students themselves, leaving many stranded after investing time, money, and hope in the prospect of a U.S. degree.
The U.S. State Department did grant more than 5,700 F-1 and J-1 visas to people from the affected countries between May and September 2024, according to AP. But for many, those numbers tell only part of the story. Iran and Myanmar accounted for more than half of those approved visas, yet countless others were left in limbo, unable to secure the paperwork needed to cross American borders. The full travel ban blocks most people from 12 countries from obtaining new visas, while seven others face tighter restrictions specifically targeting student visas. Exemptions exist for green card holders, dual citizens, and some athletes, but the path remains treacherous for most.
For students like Pouya Karami, a 17-year-old from Shiraz, Iran, the ban has meant putting his ambitions on hold. Karami had focused his college search exclusively on the U.S., drawn by what he described as unparalleled research opportunities in science. He had been accepted to study polymer chemistry at Pittsburg State University in Kansas for the fall of 2025, but the travel ban forced him to defer his admission until 2026. “I’m doing everything I can about it,” Karami told AP, explaining that he continues to prepare for his embassy interview and has even reached out to U.S. politicians in hopes of reconsideration. Despite the setback, he remains determined, his resolve undiminished by the bureaucratic hurdles.
Karami’s story is hardly unique. Thousands of would-be international students are not showing up on U.S. campuses this fall, despite having offers of admission. The AP notes that some are caught in visa logjams, as the administration has slowed application processing while implementing additional vetting. Others have been spooked by the broader immigration crackdown and the sudden termination of legal status for some foreign students. But none face steeper obstacles than those from the countries singled out by the travel ban.
In Myanmar, the stakes are equally high. An 18-year-old student, who asked to be identified only by his nickname "Gu Gu" out of concern for his safety, had been accepted to the University of South Florida for the fall of 2025. His family had made his education their top priority, saving paychecks and making sacrifices to give him a shot at a better life. When he shared his acceptance letter in a family group chat, the response was jubilant—until news of the travel ban shattered their hopes. Gu Gu had been waiting for his visa appointment when his mother woke him late one night, asking about the ban. “I was all in for U.S., so this kind of breaks my heart,” Gu Gu said. Unable to defer his acceptance, he watched his dream vanish almost overnight.
The situation in Myanmar is particularly dire for young people. Since the military ousted the elected civilian government in 2021, many of Gu Gu’s peers have been drafted into the military or joined resistance groups. For Gu Gu, the prospect of studying in the U.S. represented not just academic opportunity but also simple freedoms—walking to school alone, playing sports—that are now out of reach in his homeland.
For Bahara Saghari, a 21-year-old from Afghanistan, the travel ban was the latest in a series of setbacks. With the Taliban barring women from college, Saghari had set her sights on the U.S., practicing English up to eight hours a day for years. She won admission to a private liberal arts college in Illinois to study business administration, but her plans unraveled when the travel ban was announced. “You think that finally you are going to your dream, and then something came up and like, everything’s just gone,” Saghari told AP. She postponed her July 2025 visa interview in Pakistan to August, hoping for a change, but ultimately canceled it. Knox College denied her request to defer admission.
Undeterred, Saghari turned her attention to Europe. The process there was no less complicated: a German university required her to retake an English proficiency test because her previous score had expired—a challenge in Afghanistan’s unstable political climate. Ultimately, she was accepted to a Polish university, but only on the condition that she pay her tuition up front and as her application underwent a review to validate her high school degree. As of September 15, 2025, she was still waiting for a final decision.
Amir, a 28-year-old Iranian researcher, faced a similar fate. He had been offered a fully funded position as a visiting scholar at the University of Pennsylvania, but the travel ban forced him to stay in Tehran. “You lose this idealistic view of the world. Like you think, if I work hard, if I’m talented, if I contribute, I have a place somewhere else, basically somewhere you want to be,” Amir told AP. “And then you learn that, no, maybe people don’t want you there. That’s kind of hard to deal with it.” His professor at Penn postponed his research appointment until 2026, but Amir has started exploring opportunities in Europe—an option that would require navigating new application processes and potentially learning another language. Still, the U.S. remains his first choice, though he’s not optimistic about a change in American foreign policy any time soon.
The Trump administration has defended the travel ban by citing high visa overstay rates and national security threats from what it calls "unstable or adversarial foreign governments." President Trump described the screening processes in some countries as “deficient” and insisted the ban would remain until “identified inadequacies” are addressed. While the administration asserts that the policy is a necessary safeguard, its impact on students and their families has been profound. For many, the ban has upended years of planning and dashed hopes for a brighter future.
Despite the obstacles, the United States remains the top choice for many international students. The AP notes that no other country offers the same breadth of research opportunities, especially in science and technology. Yet as the travel ban persists, students from the affected countries are increasingly looking elsewhere—Europe, Poland, Germany—in search of educational opportunities, even as those paths come with their own hurdles.
For now, the door to America remains closed for many. The stories of Karami, Gu Gu, Saghari, and Amir are just a few among thousands. Their determination to pursue education abroad, even in the face of formidable barriers, is a testament to the enduring appeal of American higher education—and a stark reminder of the human cost of sweeping policy decisions.