ANN ARBOR, MICH. (Michigan News Source) – Michigan universities might want to brace themselves – and their budgets. With over 38,000 international students funneling roughly $1.5 billion into the higher education system and the state’s economy, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s vow to “aggressively revoke” visas for Chinese students in “critical fields” could slam the brakes on one of the state’s most profitable “exports” – education.
The University of Michigan alone hosted 8,635 international students in Fall 2024, representing 146 countries. That’s 17% of its student body and roughly $518 million in revenue just from the foreign students.
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According to Bridge Michigan, around 4,000 of those are Chinese nationals. Another 2,136 Chinese students are spread across Michigan State University, Western Michigan University, and Wayne State University. If Trump’s plan to revoke student visas from China moves forward, thousands of those high- paying students could be packing their bags – and universities could be packing their budgets with red ink.
China’s out, scrutiny’s in.
The U.S. State Department has rolled out a set of new visa rules aimed at national security – particularly tightening the leash on Chinese nationals. These policies increase vetting, pause student visa interviews, and zero in on individuals with ties to the Chinese Communist Party or those in “sensitive” academic fields. For Trump allies, it’s a long-overdue course correction. For universities dependent on foreign cash, it’s a rude awakening.
No more easy money?
According to the Institute of International Education (IIE), Michigan ranks 8th in the nation for international student enrollment, with a total of 38,123 students for the 2023–24 academic year. Their presence added nearly $1.5 billion in economic impact statewide, echoing national figures from NAFSA, the Association of International Educators, which pegs international students’ total contribution to the U.S. economy at $43.8 billion. But that gravy train may be grinding to a halt if the Trump administration has anything to say about it.
Even more information can be gleaned from an Open Doors fact sheet compiled on International Educational Exchange which conducts an annual census of international students in the United States. According to their data, the leading places of origin for international students who are going to Michigan colleges and universities include India (38.1%), China (22.7%), Canada (4.2%), South Korea (3.8%) and Bangladesh (2.2%) with the leading institutions with foreign students being U-M, Trine University (Detroit Regional), MSU, Central Michigan University and Wayne State University.
Prioritizing patriots over passports.
While Michigan’s universities may lament the loss of high-paying foreign students, the new visa policies reflect a broader shift: putting American students, workers, and national security first.
The days of depending on Chinese tuition dollars to keep the lights on may be numbered. But let’s face it – if the business models require our higher education institutions to rely on thousands of students from a communist country just to stay afloat, maybe it’s not just their enrollment that needs a review.
