On a dusky August evening in 2025, a crowded bus wound its way through the German countryside near Bingen, carrying a diverse group of travelers, each with their own story. Among them were two Ukrainian teenagers, refugees seeking asylum in Germany, and an American university student far from home. Their chance encounter, recounted in an article published on September 16, 2025, became a microcosm of the broader challenges and opportunities facing international students and the higher education system at large.
The American traveler, reflecting on this meeting, was struck by the parallel journeys unfolding on that bus: young people, displaced or abroad, yearning for education and community. The Ukrainian teens, despite their recent upheaval, spoke eagerly of their academic aspirations—one even hoping to major in history, much like their new acquaintance. The conversation, a jumble of English, Ukrainian, and German, underscored the essential value of diversity in education. "The unique perspectives of students from all countries is essential at our universities," the author observed, highlighting how international students enrich campus life and foster a global understanding that benefits everyone.
Yet, as the article detailed, the landscape for international students in the United States has grown increasingly hostile. According to the report, the U.S. State Department has revoked approximately 6,000 student visas under the Trump administration's policies, which have targeted international students and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. Even at the University of North Carolina (UNC), six international students had their visas revoked by the federal government as of mid-September 2025, with little support from the university. The author lamented, "When universities capitulate to the Trump administration’s violent repression of international students’ presence, both international and domestic students suffer a loss of community and the chance to learn from each other."
This crackdown is seen as part of a broader effort to restrict immigration and suppress political opposition, threatening the liberty and educational opportunities of both international and domestic students. The article argued that the presence of international students is not just a matter of numbers, but of vital importance to the intellectual and social fabric of American higher education. "A community of heterogeneous peers is essential for these processes; how could you learn anything if everyone around you comes from identical backgrounds?" the author asked, driving home the point that educational institutions thrive on diversity and the exchange of ideas.
Meanwhile, a new report released on the same day by the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice brought the conversation about access and equity in higher education even closer to home. Titled Reaching Higher: Expanding Access to College Education in New Jersey, the report paints a sobering picture of a system in crisis. As reported by the Institute, tuition and fees have soared in New Jersey, and student debt has become a formidable barrier, particularly for low-income, first-generation, and students of color. The state's funding for higher education has plummeted nearly 22 percent since 1999, pushing New Jersey below the national average in per-student funding and leaving community colleges especially under-resourced.
Harbani Ahuja, Senior Counsel in the Economic Justice Program at the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice and the report's primary author, didn't mince words: "Higher education is at a critical moment in this country, and New Jersey is no exception. After suffering through decades of disinvestment, higher education in the Garden State is experiencing a growing crisis that has shifted costs onto students—a burden that especially hurts Black and Brown students. We owe it to future generations to act boldly today and make higher education more accessible, affordable and diverse."
The numbers are stark. New Jersey now ranks fourth in the nation for highest in-state public college costs, and its graduates leave school with nearly $40,000 in student debt—the sixth highest level nationally. The burden is not distributed evenly; Black families, already disadvantaged by the racial wealth gap, are disproportionately affected by student loan debt. Laura Sullivan, Director of the Economic Justice Program at the Institute, emphasized, "All of New Jersey’s students deserve the ability to go to college and benefit from the doors that open through higher education, and that is simply not the case right now."
Against this backdrop of national attacks on higher education and diversity programs, the Institute's report offers a comprehensive roadmap for reform. The policy recommendations are ambitious and wide-ranging: increasing state funding for higher education, enhancing the Tuition Assistance Grant (TAG) program, creating clearer pathways and support for the Community College Opportunity Grant (CCOG) and Garden State Guarantee (GSG) programs, and strengthening support services for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The report also calls for expanding programs that help students transition to college, increasing awareness about New Jersey’s College Promise Program, and improving equity in admissions by ending legacy and donor preferences and initiating automatic enrollment in community colleges.
To further support student success, the report recommends expanding dual enrollment opportunities, increasing access to Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) courses, and streamlining the transfer of credits between institutions. These measures, the Institute argues, would not only boost graduation rates but also help create a more just and inclusive higher education system that serves all students, not just those with access to generational wealth or high-resource schools.
As policymakers, educators, and advocates debate the future of higher education, the personal stories and data converge on a clear message: the stakes have never been higher. The author’s experience in Germany, finding common ground with refugee students on a crowded bus, becomes a metaphor for the potential of education to bridge divides and foster community. But that potential is threatened—by restrictive immigration policies, by rising costs, and by a political climate that often frames diversity as a threat rather than a strength.
The challenges are daunting, but the solutions are within reach. As the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice’s report argues, the state—and by extension, the nation—must decide whether to be "swept away in a national attack on higher education, or whether it will forge its own path toward a prosperous and inclusive higher education system for all its residents." The fate of countless students, both domestic and international, hangs in the balance. Their stories, whether unfolding on a bus in Germany or on campuses across New Jersey, remind us of what’s at stake—and what could be gained if access, equity, and diversity are truly prioritized.
As the debate continues, one thing is certain: the future of higher education will be shaped not only by policy decisions in Washington and Trenton, but by the everyday acts of empathy, curiosity, and solidarity among students themselves. The journey toward a more inclusive and accessible system is far from over, but every step—every conversation—brings us closer.