2 days ago
Minnesota universities brace for impact after federal pause on student visa interviews
Minnesota universities brace for impact after federal pause on student visa interviews originally appeared on Bring Me The News.
The Trump administration recently ordered U.S. Embassies to pause interviews for student visa applicants, deepening concerns at the University of Minnesota and other institutions that enroll thousands of international students annually, generating hundreds of millions of dollars in the process.
The pause comes as the administration plans to roll out new vetting requirements, which would require examination of the prospective foreign students' social media accounts.
The change is expected to slow the pace of student visa processing at a time when the changing federal landscape may be deterring international students from studying in the U.S. at all, coming amid President Donald Trump's highly publicized spat with Harvard University, and the attempted deportation of numerous international students across the of fall 2024, there were 5,712 international students from over 140 countries enrolled at the University of Minnesota across all five campuses, which studies suggests has an economic impact in excess of $230 million.
Fewer international students would have a significant impact on the U of M and other Minnesota colleges and universities – both in terms of revenue and the contributions and culture of the institutions.
"International students and scholars have been and will always be an essential part of the University of Minnesota," the U of M shared in a statement to Bring Me The News. "The knowledge and skills they develop on campus and contribute to the broader community prepare all our students to become the next generation of world leaders who can work across languages, cultures and borders to solve shared global challenges."
On Thursday, the U of M leaders said they are awaiting clarity on the U.S. State Department's pause.
"Our teams are working diligently to measure the short- and long-term impact of this and other changes in the federal landscape, especially for our students," the university shared, adding its providing resources to the entire campus community and personalized support those those potentially impacted by recent developments.
The statement continues: "Regardless of what transpires, we remain rooted in our mission — our values, principles and priorities — and loudly champion the work of our students, faculty and staff, who deliver extraordinary impact on countless lives across our campuses, state, nation and world."
According to NAFSA: Association of International Educators, one U.S. job is created and supported by spending occurring in the higher education, accommodation, dining, retail, transportation, telecommunications and health insurance sectors for every three international students.
NAFSA's International Student Economic Value 2023-2024 study noted the impact from international students at the following U of M campuses:
Twin Cities campus: $228.7 million
Duluth campus: $6.1 million
Crookston campus: $1.1 million
Morris campus: $818,004
Other institutions awaiting further information from the federal government include Macalester College in St. Paul, which issued the following statement to Bring Me The News:
"Macalester has recruited talented students from around the globe for decades. We are aware of the recent pause on scheduling student visa appointments, and we are working to determine what it might mean for our students and how we can best assist them."
This story was originally reported by Bring Me The News on Jun 4, 2025, where it first appeared.
