Universities seek to lure U.S.-bound students amid Trump crackdown
Universities around the world are seeking to offer refuge for students impacted by U.S. President Donald Trump's crackdown on academic institutions, targeting top talent and a slice of the billions of dollars in academic revenue in the United States.
Osaka University, one of the top ranked in Japan, is offering tuition fee waivers, research grants and help with travel arrangements for students and researchers at U.S. institutions who want to transfer.
Japan's Kyoto University and Tokyo University are also considering similar schemes, while Hong Kong has instructed its universities to attract top talent from the United States. China's Xi'an Jiaotong University has appealed for students at Harvard, singled out in Trump's crackdown, promising "streamlined" admissions and "comprehensive" support.
Trump's administration has enacted massive funding cuts for academic research, curbed visas for foreign students — especially those from China — and plans to hike taxes on elite schools.
Trump alleges top U.S. universities are cradles of anti-American movements. In a dramatic escalation, his administration last week revoked Harvard's ability to enrol foreign students, a move later blocked by a federal judge.
Masaru Ishii, dean of the graduate school of medicine at Osaka University, described the impact on U.S. universities as "a loss for all of humanity."
Japan aims to ramp up its number of foreign students to 400,000 over the next decade, from around 337,000 currently.
Jessica Turner, CEO of Quacquarelli Symonds, a London-based analytics firm that ranks universities globally, said other leading universities around the world were trying to attract students unsure of going to the U.S.
Germany, France and Ireland are emerging as particularly attractive alternatives in Europe, she said, while in the Asia-Pacific, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea, Japan and mainland China are rising in profile.
Policies 'were a slap in my face': Chinese student
Chinese students have been particularly targeted in Trump's crackdown, with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday pledging to "aggressively" crack down on their visas.
More than 275,000 Chinese students are enrolled in hundreds of U.S. colleges, providing a major source of revenue for the schools and a crucial pipeline of talent for U.S. technology companies.
International students, 54 per cent of them from India and China, contributed more than $50 billion US to the U.S. economy in 2023, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce.
Trump's crackdown comes at a critical period in the international student application process, as many young people prepare to travel to the U.S. in August to find accommodation and settle in before term starts.
Dai, 24, a Chinese student based in Chengdu, had planned to head to the U.S. to complete her masters but is now seriously considering taking up an offer in Britain instead.
"The various policies [by the U.S. government] were a slap in my face," she said, requesting to be identified only by her surname for privacy reasons. "I'm thinking about my mental health and it's possible that I indeed change schools."
Students from Britain and the European Union are also now more hesitant to apply to U.S. universities, said Tom Moon, deputy head of consultancy at Oxbridge Applications, which helps students in their university applications.
There has been an uptick in applications to British universities from prospective students in the U.S., said Universities UK, an organization that promotes British institutions. It cautioned, however, that it was too early to say whether that translates into more students enrolling.
WATCH | Bringing doctors, scientists to Canada:
How Canada is trying to tap America's brain drain
13 hours ago
Duration 6:14
There's a global rush to recruit America's top talent as Trump administration policies push many professionals to explore career and study plans abroad. CBC's Eli Glasner takes a closer look at efforts to bring some of those doctors and scientists to Canada.
Ella Rickets, an 18-year old first-year student at Harvard from Canada, said she receives a generous aid package paid for by the school's donors and is concerned that she won't be able to afford other options if forced to transfer.
"Around the time I was applying to schools, the only university across the Atlantic I considered was Oxford.... However, I realized that I would not be able to afford the international tuition and there was no sufficient scholarship or financial aid available," she said.
If Harvard's ability to enrol foreign students is revoked, she said she would most likely apply to the University of Toronto.
Analytics firm QS said overall visits to its Study in America online guide have declined by 17.6 per cent in the last year — with interest from India alone down over 50 per cent.
"Measurable impacts on enrolment typically emerge within six to 18 months. Reputational effects, however, often linger far longer, particularly where visa uncertainty and shifting work rights play into perceptions of risk versus return," said QS's Turner.
That reputational risk, and the ensuing brain drain, could be even more damaging for U.S. institutions than the immediate economic hit from students leaving.
"If America turns these brilliant and talented students away, they will find other places to work and study," said Caleb Thompson, a 20-year-old U.S. student at Harvard, who lives with eight international scholars.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBC
2 hours ago
- CBC
Canadian economy will be among those hit hardest by global slowdown, says OECD
Global economic growth is slowing more than was expected only a few months ago, as the fallout from the Trump administration's trade war continues, the OECD said on Tuesday, and Canada is among the countries where the downturn is most concentrated. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) revised down its outlook, trimming its estimates from March for growth of 3.1 per cent this year and 3.0 per cent next year. The global economy is on course to slow from 3.3 per cent last year to 2.9 per cent in 2025 and 2026, it said. "The slowdown is concentrated in the United States, Canada, Mexico and China, with other economies expected to see smaller downward adjustments," the Paris-based organization said in its latest economic outlook. The growth outlook would likely be even weaker if protectionism increases, further fuelling inflation, disrupting supply chains and rattling financial markets, it added. "Additional increases in trade barriers or prolonged policy uncertainty would further lower growth prospects and likely push inflation higher in countries imposing tariffs," OECD Secretary General Mathias Cormann said as he presented the report. If Washington raised bilateral tariffs by an additional 10 percentage points on all countries, as compared with the rates in force as of mid-May, global economic output would be about 0.3 per cent lower after two years, Cormann added. "The key policy priorities in this context are constructive dialogue to ensure a lasting resolution to current trade tensions," Cormann said. What can we expect from Trump's tariffs after whiplash court rulings? 2 days ago Duration 23:42 Chief political correspondent Rosemary Barton speaks with a former acting deputy U.S. trade representative about the latest updates in the U.S. trade war. Plus, the mayor of London, Ont., on what this means for Canadian municipalities. And, the American Roundtable breaks down what might be coming next. Canadian economic growth could slow to 1% this year The OECD projects that Canada's economic growth will slow from 1.5 per cent in 2024 to 1.0 per cent in 2025 and 1.1 per cent in 2026 because of trade tensions with the U.S., long its largest export market. The organization also expects that business investment and exports will decline this year, and that a weak labour market will weigh on Canadian households' spending behaviour. Headline inflation will tick up slightly, though the impact of higher tariffs on consumer prices will be partly offset by lower gas prices, which the organization attributes to the end of the consumer carbon tax. It also notes that core inflation — the Bank of Canada's preferred measure for tracking price growth — will increase "for a period," before coming back down toward the central bank's two per cent target next year. "Inflationary pressures from higher tariffs will require a more cautious approach to lowering interest rates," the report said. The rate currently sits at 2.75 per cent, with the bank's next meeting set for Wednesday. "Increased government spending, particularly on housing affordability and new social programs, has recently worsened the general government balance, although it had previously been in surplus." OECD warns about tariff impact in U.S. Since taking office in January, U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff announcements have roiled financial markets and fuelled global economic uncertainty, forcing him to walk back some of his initial stances. Last month, the U.S. and China agreed to a temporary truce to scale back tariffs, while Trump also postponed 50 per cent duties on the European Union until July 9. The OECD forecast the U.S. economy would grow only 1.6 per cent this year and 1.5 per cent next year, assuming for the purpose of making calculations that tariffs in place mid-May would remain so through the rest of 2025 and 2026. For 2025, the new forecast marked a sizable cut, as the organization had previously expected the world's biggest economy would grow 2.2 per cent this year and 1.6 per cent next year. While new tariffs may create incentives to manufacture in the United States, higher import prices would squeeze consumers' purchasing power and economic policy uncertainty would hold back corporate investment, the OECD warned. WATCH | What to expect from whiplash U.S. court ruling on tariffs: Is Trump's tariff negotiation strategy backfiring? 12 days ago Duration 25:26 Meanwhile, the higher tariff receipts would only partly offset revenues lost due to the extension of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, new tax cuts and weaker economic growth, it added. Trump's sweeping tax cut and spending bill was expected to push the U.S. budget deficit to eight per cent of economic output by 2026 — among the biggest fiscal shortfalls for a developed economy not at war. As tariffs fuel inflation pressures, the U.S. Federal Reserve was seen keeping rates on hold through this year and then cutting the fed funds rate to 3.25 to 3.5 per cent by the end of 2026. In China, the fallout from the U.S. tariff hikes would be partly offset by government subsidies for a trade-in program on consumer goods like mobile phones and appliances and increased welfare transfers, the OECD said. It estimated the world's second-biggest economy, which is not an OECD member, would grow 4.7 per cent this year and 4.3 per cent in 2026, little changed from previous forecasts for 4.8 per cent in 2025 and 4.4 per cent in 2026. The outlook for the euro area was unchanged from March, with growth forecast this year at 1.0 per cent and 1.2 per cent next year, boosted by resilient labour markets and interest rate cuts, while more public spending from Germany would buoy 2026 growth.
Japan Forward
4 hours ago
- Japan Forward
Washington Wants More from Japan: Defense Burden, Readiness, and Resolve
Former United States Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage and Harvard University Professor Emeritus Joseph Nye — both regarded as leading "Japan hands" in Washington — have recently passed away. John Hamre, president of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), has also announced his retirement. For years, visiting Armitage had become a near-ritual for Japanese politicians traveling to Washington. However, a senior researcher at a US think tank familiar with Japan-US relations notes that Japan still seems stuck in an outdated mindset. Tokyo, he notes, seems to think that simply engaging with a few Japan-friendly figures in Washington is enough to assure their interests are represented, even though that era is long over. It's a valid criticism. Perhaps reflecting a growing sense of urgency within the Japanese government, the Japan Foundation recently invited Oren Cass (41) to Japan. Cass, the founder of the conservative think tank American Compass and a close associate of US Vice President JD Vance who is known for expressing his views on the Donald Trump administration's trade policy. US President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance shake hands at the Republican National Convention (RNC), at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, US, July 15, 2024. (©REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz) In a recent Chuo Koron dialogue, however, it was not his views on trade that stood out most. Instead, he emphasized that debates over what percentage of GDP should go to defense were missing the point. What mattered, he argued, was whether countries like Japan and Germany could credibly defend themselves — Japan against China, and Germany against Russia — even if that meant substantially increasing their defense budgets. Elbridge Colby, US Under Secretary of Defense for Policy and the Pentagon's third-ranking official, expressed a similar view in written testimony submitted to a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing. He called for Japan to raise its defense budget to 3% of GDP as soon as possible. In his oral remarks, he also suggested that Taiwan should aim for 10%. Cass's position closely aligns with Colby's. During a recent visit to Japan, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth expressed confidence that Japan would make sound decisions regarding the defense capabilities it needs. Although he refrained from commenting directly on defense spending, Cass's comments seem to reflect the prevailing sentiment within circles close to the Trump administration. Fred Fleitz is vice president of the America First Policy Institute (AFPI), a think tank closely aligned with the Trump administration. He offered similar views in an interview with Seiron , speaking to The Sankei Shimbun 's Washington correspondent Yoshihisa Komori. While his tone was more restrained than Cass's, he suggested that President Trump is generally satisfied with Japan's recent moves to double its defense budget and, for the time being, isn't pressing for additional commitments. Although some in Trump's political base have called for more aggressive demands on Japan, Fleitz indicated that the president hasn't gone that far. Still, he noted that if expectations were to grow for Japan to assume greater responsibility and reduce the asymmetry in the alliance, the Trump administration would likely convey those expectations discreetly and amicably. This approach would contrast with the more public pressure it has applied to Europe. Matt Pottinger, former Deputy National Security Advisor under President Trump, also stressed the importance of preparing for a potential Taiwan contingency in a recent Bungei Shunju interview. He welcomed Japan's increased defense spending and the reinforcement of its bases in the Nansei Islands as positive developments. However, he argued that Japan, the US, and Taiwan must engage in more detailed coordination on how they would respond in the event of a crisis. According to Pottinger, the more clearly Japan demonstrates both the capability and determination to defend itself, the less likely it is that an actual conflict will occur. He underscored that while war can be avoided, it requires active measures. Deterrence is not possible through inaction. As Russia continues its assault on Ukraine and China asserts itself in the Indo-Pacific, authoritarian regimes are increasingly challenging the status quo by force. For experts close to the Trump administration, the message to Japan is clear: every country must be able to defend itself. The real concern, they suggest, is Japan's persistently passive stance. Economist Keiichiro Kobayashi, writing in Bungei Shunju , cautioned that Japan should not treat ongoing negotiations with the United States as merely a bilateral dispute over Trump tariffs. Instead, he urged Japanese policymakers to seize the moment. He wants them to propose a new framework for global economic governance and articulate a broader strategic vision. However, officials such as Defense Minister Gen Nakatani have maintained that trade and security issues should be treated separately. So far, there has been little indication that the government is prepared to engage in the kind of integrated, forward-looking dialogue Kobayashi advocates. This reluctance stands in stark contrast to the rapidly shifting geopolitical landscape. Despite the intensifying pressure around Japan, the political response remains muted. On May 3, near the Senkaku Islands in Okinawa Prefecture, a China Coast Guard (CCG) vessel intruded into Japanese territorial waters. The CCG then launched a helicopter launched from the vessel, which intentionally entered Japanese airspace. A CCG vessel (No. 2303) equipped with a 76mm cannon, as seen on the China Coast Guard website. Some members of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) expressed frustration that the government's response amounted to this airspace violation little more than formal expressions of "regret" or "strong protest." It remains unclear, however, whether Japan's political leadership fully grasps the seriousness of the threat. This month, the only noteworthy political commentary came in the form of a Seiron dialogue between former LDP Policy Research Council Chair Koichi Hagiuda and former Minister for Economic Security Takayuki Kobayashi. Hagiuda acknowledged that the so-called Trump tariffs present a serious national challenge, but also framed them as a chance for Japan to reexamine its domestic policies. While emphasizing the importance of maintaining shared values with the US as allies, he argued that Japan must begin reducing its dependence on America. This includes areas such as food self-sufficiency. Kobayashi agreed, expressing a similar sense of urgency. He stressed the importance of building a nation that is not swayed by foreign trends or external pressures. Offering advice to Kobayashi, who is considered a potential contender for LDP leadership, Hagiuda emphasized the need for political courage — the strength to stand firm and resist when necessary. The same standard, he implied, applies to himself. If Japan is to chart a more independent course, its politicians must act with conviction and demonstrate a willingness to confront challenges head-on. Relying on a handful of "Japan experts" in Washington is no longer sustainable. (Read the article in Japanese .) Author: Takashi Arimoto, The Sankei Shimbun
Globe and Mail
5 hours ago
- Globe and Mail
OECD lowers global growth outlook as Trump's trade war hits U.S. economy
Global economic growth is slowing more than expected only a few months ago as the fallout from the Trump administration's trade war takes a bigger toll on the U.S. economy, the OECD said on Tuesday, revising down its outlook. The global economy is on course to slow from 3.3 per cent last year to 2.9 per cent in 2025 and 2026, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development said, trimming its estimates from March for growth of 3.1 per cent this year and 3.0 per cent next year. But the growth outlook would likely be even weaker if protectionism increases, further fueling inflation, disrupting supply chains and rattling financial markets, the Paris-based organization said in its latest Economic Outlook. 'Additional increases in trade barriers or prolonged policy uncertainty would further lower growth prospects and likely push inflation higher in countries imposing tariffs,' OECD Secretary General Mathias Cormann said as he presented the report. How to win a trade war: Canada, Trump and a delicate dance in asymmetric warfare How can you Trump-proof your wallet? Answering your trade-war money questions If Washington raised bilateral tariffs by an additional 10 percentage points on all countries as compared with the rates in force as of mid-May, global economic output would be about 0.3 per cent lower after two years, Cormann added. 'The key policy priorities in this context are constructive dialogue to ensure a lasting resolution to current trade tensions,' Cormann said. U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff announcements since he took office in January have already roiled financial markets and fueled global economic uncertainty, forcing him to walk back some of his initial stances. Last month, the U.S. and China agreed to a temporary truce to scale back tariffs, while Trump also postponed 50 per cent duties on the European Union until July 9. The OECD forecast the U.S. economy would grow only 1.6 per cent this year and 1.5 per cent next year, assuming for the purpose of making calculations that tariffs in place mid-May would remain so through the rest of 2025 and 2026. For 2025, the new forecast marked a sizeable cut as the organization had previously expected the world's biggest economy would grow 2.2 per cent this year and 1.6 per cent next year. While new tariffs may create incentives to manufacture in the United States, higher import prices would squeeze consumers' purchasing power and economic policy uncertainty would hold back corporate investment, the OECD warned. Meanwhile, the higher tariff receipts would only partly offset revenues lost due to the extension of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, new tax cuts and weaker economic growth, it added. Trump's sweeping tax cut and spending bill was expected to push the U.S. budget deficit to 8 per cent of economic output by 2026, among the biggest fiscal shortfalls for a developed economy not at war. As tariffs fuel inflation pressures, the Federal Reserve was seen keeping rates on hold through this year and then cutting the fed funds rate to 3.25-3.5 per cent by the end of 2026. In China, the fallout from the U.S. tariff hikes would be partly offset by government subsidies for a trade-in program on consumer goods like mobile phones and appliances and increased welfare transfers, the OECD said. It estimated the world's second-biggest economy, which is not an OECD member, would grow 4.7 per cent this year and 4.3 per cent in 2026, little changed from previous forecasts for 4.8 per cent in 2025 and 4.4 per cent in 2026. The outlook for the euro area was unchanged from March with growth forecast this year at 1.0 per cent and 1.2 per cent next year, boosted by resilient labour markets and interest rate cuts while more public spending from Germany would buoy 2026 growth.
