International college students bring billions to the US. Here's why that may change.

For scientists hoping to study in the United States, Europe has a clear message: Come here instead.

Colleges are starting to fear that great minds may do just that, if the Trump administration keeps cutting research funding and detaining foreign-born students.

The first week of May, some of the European Union’s most high-profile leaders gathered to launch a new initiative called “Choose Europe for Science.” Speaking from the Sorbonne, France’s most prominent university, they announced a 500-million euro investment meant to attract foreign researchers and college students to campuses across Europe.

American colleges and universities have long been the most desired destinations for students from across the globe. Hundreds of thousands flock to the United States annually to enroll in undergraduate and graduate programs. In the 2023-24 school year alone, foreign students contributed more than $43 billion to the U.S. economy, according to NAFSA, the Association of International Educators.

International students have long played an essential role at many U.S. colleges to support research, budgets and teaching programs. But the Trump administration’s recent changes to immigration and education policy have led to widespread uncertainty at those schools, where administrators say they’re bracing for a larger crisis if fewer students from abroad opt to study in the United States.

In an unprecedented move, the Department of Homeland Security in April threatened to remove Harvard University’s ability to enroll any foreign students – a tactic other colleges worry could be used on them, too.

If that happened at Harvard, the consequences elsewhere would be devastating, said Suzanne Ortega, president of the Council of Graduate Schools.

“The bottom line is students have choices of where to go, and if they choose to go to other nations that appear to be more welcoming, those nations’ gains will be the U.S.’s loss,” she said.