Over the last 4 years of the Trump presidency, restrictive anti-immigration policies have topped the administration's political agenda. Many of these policies have materialized in ways that affect international students, making it more difficult for them to pursue studies in the US- from severe punishment for minor student visa violations, to threatening to ban students from remaining in the US during the pandemic if they weren’t enrolled in on-campus classes. 

Statistics from The Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange show that for the fourth year in a row, the number of international students enrolled at U.S colleges and universities has declined.

This piece explores international student life over the course of the Trump presidency, as well as what could be different with the Biden administration.

Greer Jackson