On the eve of the new academic year in the United States, a wave of uncertainty is rippling through the country’s universities, with international students—especially those from India—caught in the crosshairs of policy shifts, funding crises, and heightened immigration scrutiny. The impact is being felt in classrooms, research labs, and even on the basketball court, as students and staff grapple with new obstacles that threaten the very foundation of America’s global academic reputation.
Stanford University, a name synonymous with academic excellence, recently announced the layoff of 363 staff members after a stunning $140 million budget shortfall. The university’s leadership attributed the cuts to a “challenging fiscal environment shaped in large part by federal policy changes affecting higher education,” as reported by The Indian Express. The story is similar at Harvard, where a freeze on more than $2 billion in long-term research grants has brought progress in medicine, engineering, and science to a grinding halt. The National Institutes of Health also halted an estimated $110 million in grants to Harvard and its affiliated hospitals since late February 2025.
Columbia University, another Ivy League stalwart, has seen nearly 180 researchers lose their jobs due to federal funding cuts. Even a subsequent $200 million settlement with the government did little to restore confidence, with faculty warning that “the rules, and the money, feel volatile.” These dramatic changes stem from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R.1), passed in July 2025, which slashed federal spending and imposed higher taxes on wealthy private universities, squeezing the very funds that sustain research and student aid.
For Indian students, who represent one of the largest international student groups in the US, the situation is particularly fraught. Funding, immigration, and job prospects—all three pillars of the American dream—are now under threat. The US State Department confirmed the revocation of over 6,000 student visas this year alone, with roughly 4,000 tied to alleged criminal violations and 200–300 related to accusations of support for terrorism, often linked to pro-Palestinian activism. According to the Associated Press and Times of India, these actions are based on an aggressive new protocol of “continuous vetting” that includes the use of AI-powered systems to scan social media profiles and other digital footprints for potential red flags.
Visa scrutiny has reached unprecedented levels. Applicants are now expected to make their social media profiles public, and even privacy settings or innocuous posts can be interpreted as suspicious by consular officials. During visa interviews, students must disable privacy settings on their devices, and any past or present digital activity is fair game. As Times of India notes, databases like the FBI’s National Crime Information Center (NCIC)—which include dismissed charges and minor infractions—are now sufficient grounds for visa revocation. The result is a climate of anxiety and self-censorship, as students fear that a single misstep online or offline could jeopardize their futures.
The numbers tell a sobering story. From March to May 2025, the US issued just 9,906 F-1 visas to Indian students—a staggering 27% drop from the nearly 15,000 visas issued during the same period the previous year. The decline is the steepest since the pandemic, and it comes as the cost and complexity of obtaining a US visa continue to rise. Beginning in 2026, all non-immigrant visa applicants, including students, will be required to pay a $250 Visa Integrity Fee, plus a $24 I-94 fee, on top of the standard processing charges. And starting September 2, 2025, nearly all non-immigrant visa applicants—including children under 14 and seniors over 79, who were previously exempt—must attend in-person interviews.
These changes aren’t just numbers on a spreadsheet—they’re affecting real lives and ambitions. For many Indian students, especially those pursuing graduate degrees, enrollment and legal status hinge on research or teaching assistantships funded by federal grants. When those grants dry up, so do tuition waivers and stipends, leaving students at risk of falling “out of status” on their F-1 visas. The knock-on effect extends to the coveted H-1B visa, the main pathway to employment in the US after graduation. Fewer research opportunities, internships, and publications mean a weaker case for future work authorization.
This new reality is also playing out in college athletics. At the University of Arizona, Sudanese freshman Sidi Gueye finally received his student visa just six days before classes began, missing the entire five-week summer training camp with the Wildcats men’s basketball team. While his late arrival means he’ll start the season slightly behind, Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd remains optimistic, noting that the entire 16-player roster will now be available for early fall workouts. But not every coach is so lucky. Arizona State University’s Bobby Hurley is still waiting for three international players—Mor Massamba Diop (Senegal), Andrija Grbovic (Montenegro), and Noah Meeusen (Belgium)—to arrive, their visas delayed by the new appointment bottlenecks.
“I think everybody’s in good shape, assuming we get these appointments that we’re trying to get with the embassies,” Hurley told Arizona Daily Star. The uncertainty is echoed across campuses nationwide, with universities quietly revising course content, withdrawing invitations to controversial speakers, and advising student organizations to scale back activism—all in a bid to avoid federal scrutiny. As Times of India reported, these subtle adjustments are part of a broader attempt to navigate a compliance environment that feels both volatile and unpredictable.
The Trump administration’s comprehensive review of all 55 million foreign nationals holding valid US visas has only heightened the sense of unease. According to the Associated Press, visa revocations—especially for students—have more than doubled since Trump took office, with the majority tied to law violations, including assault, driving under the influence, and terrorism-related concerns. The State Department emphasized, “We review all available information as part of our vetting, including law enforcement or immigration records or any other information that comes to light after visa issuance indicating a potential ineligibility.”
For students and their families, the message is clear: vigilance is no longer optional. Experts advise maintaining immaculate immigration records, strictly adhering to visa regulations, and exercising extreme caution on social media. Universities, for their part, are encouraging international students to stay in close contact with campus support services and to remain up to date on evolving policies.
As the new academic year begins, the landscape for international students in the US is more challenging than ever. The combination of funding cuts, aggressive vetting, and shifting university policies has created a climate of uncertainty that threatens to undermine the country’s long-standing status as a beacon for global talent. Whether this moment marks a temporary setback or a lasting transformation remains to be seen, but for thousands of students, the stakes couldn’t be higher.
