Trump Makes America Dream Expensive For Indian Students

Hyderabad: US President Donald Trump’s decision to cap international undergraduate students to 15 per cent of a college, with no more than 5 per cent from any single country, has evoked sharp criticism from Telugu students, who form a considerable chuck from India seeking admission in American colleges.

Vishvanath Reddy, a student from Hyderabad who is pursuing his masters’ 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-serve policy, essentially penalising talented students.”

Many international education experts warn that the move could greatly reduce the number of Indian students in US campuses, as India currently sends the largest number of international students.

According to verified statistics available on EducationData.org, total student enrollment in US colleges is around 19.5 million. Of this, around one million students come from foreign countries. India and China typically contribute around 35 per cent each (plus or minus two percentage points) for the international student admissions.

The total number of seats available to international students may not diminish under the new scheme of admissions. However, some colleges, which are most preferred by Indian students from middle classes for low cost of admission or low cost of living, will not be able to admit Indian students because of five per cent, forcing them to look for costlier alternatives in other states.

Another disappointing factor in the 10-point memo is the insistence on foreign students aligning with American and Western values. Under the new rules, universities must screen foreign students for alignment with “American and Western values” and to share their records with US federal agencies.

Students, speaking with Deccan Chronicle, said that such restrictions could lead to them losing their chance in pursuing their higher education in the United States.

“If the university collects information and sends it to the government, and if it does not align with their political ideologies, we might have to face major problems with our SEVIS, visas or even face deportations,” a student from Warangal.

He also argued that the screening of students and sharing all the information about them with the departments could be a potential violation of privacy.

Several universities across the United States received the memo, including the renowned Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Vanderbilt University, Dartmouth College, University of Pennsylvania, University of Southern California, University of Texas, University of Arizona, Brown University and University of Virginia also received the 10-point memo.

Universities have not officially responded about the memo, but local media reported that many are set to respond “positively”.

US President Donald Trump’s 10-point memo:

· Cap international undergraduate student enrollment at 15%,

· No more than 5% of students to be enrolled from any one country,

· Ban on use of race or sex in hiring and admission process,

· Freeze tuition for five years,

· Applicants must take Scholastic Assessment Test (SATs) or a similar standardised test,

· Address grade-inflation across courses,

· Promote viewpoint diversity among students, faculty and university staff,

· Revise or remove institutional units that punish or belittle conservative ideas,

· Screen foreign students for their support of “American and Western values”; check for student hostility to the US or its allies, and

· Share all known information about foreign students, including discipline records, with the department of homeland security (DHS) and the department of state (DoS).