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US Student Visa Exchange Program: In a startling move, the Donald Trump administration has delivered a tough ultimatum to nine of the nation’s most prestigious universities to cap international undergraduate enrollment at 15 per cent, or lose out on ‘preferential’ federal funds.
The memo from the US government, titled ‘Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education,’ demands that no more than 15 per cent of undergraduates can be enrolled under the Student Visa Exchange Program, and limits students from any single country to just 5 per cent, reports The Wall Street Journal.
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Additionally, for institutions already exceeding these limits, current classes must be slashed to comply with the new strict quotas, signalling a dramatic reshaping of America’s global academic landscape.
–Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
–University of Pennsylvania
–University of Arizona
–Brown University
–Dartmouth College
–University of Southern California
–University of Texas
–University of Virginia
–Vanderbilt University
As of the writing of the article, the White House has not made a public announcement regarding the memo, nor has it explained why these nine universities were specifically chosen. A White House official, quoted by Bloomberg, stated that these universities were selected because their leadership showed readiness to participate in the initiative and provide feedback on the proposal.
As outlined in the memo, the Trump administration has directed universities to conduct admissions and financial aid decisions without considering race or gender when admitting students and hiring faculty or staff.
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Moreover, the institutions are required to publicly disclose anonymised admissions data — such as GPA and test scores — categorised by race, national origin, and gender.
Universities have been instructed to actively eliminate departments that ‘deliberately punish, demean, or incite hostility toward conservative viewpoints,’ claims the report by the Journal.
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A significant change for international applicants is the requirement that all prospective students must take a standardised test, such as the SAT, before admission.
Also, universities are asked to freeze tuition fees for five years, cut administrative expenses, and disclose graduate earnings by programme.
Institutions with endowments exceeding $2 million per undergraduate student will be required to waive tuition fees for students enrolled in ‘hard science’ disciplines. Hard science disciplines refer to the natural and physical sciences, including fields like physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy, and geology.
The memo arrives amid ongoing tensions between the Trump administration and universities regarding allegations of antisemitism and issues related to diversity policies. While some institutions, such as Columbia University and Brown University, have reached multimillion-dollar agreements with the administration, others, including Harvard, remain in disagreement.
If a university agrees to the compact but later fails to comply with its terms, it may be required to repay any federal funding received that year, along with any private donations.
Universities that agree to the compact are required to oversee their own compliance by appointing an independent auditor to carry out anonymous surveys of faculty, students, and staff, assessing the institution’s adherence to the agreement. The findings will be disclosed and subject to review by the Justice Department.
As reported by Reuters, DePaul University is the latest US college to cope with the disruptive education and immigration policies of President Donald Trump. The University has told faculty it will immediately reduce spending following a 30 per cent decline in international enrollment this fall.
