“The Trump Effect”: How Does it Impact International Student Enrollment in U.S. Colleges?

Abstract

Trump Effect." Anti-immigration rhetoric, personal safety threats, legal stress, and shifting requirements for both students and colleges means potential losses of billions of dollars in revenue and fewer degrees awarded by U.S. colleges. The loss of revenue aside, less diverse student bodies, fewer visiting scholars, and less international travel caused ripple effects throughout the global higher education landscape. This literature review explores the Trump effect, alternative explanations to the Trump effect, and suggests future research directions.

The hidden minority: Discrimination and mental health among international students in the US during the COVID‐19 pandemic

“…Although this policy was also amended after a swift backlash from higher education institutions, the tumultuous policy environment put international students in policy limbo, generating significant concerns over their educational futures (Israel & Batalova, 2021). Hundreds of thousands of international students felt the chilling impact of this uncertainty and the risk of falling out of status Bellmore & Hacker (2020). Furthermore, international students, particularly those from Asian origins, experienced mental health impacts of the alarming rise in racial violence, pandemic othering, and anti-Asian hate .…”

Political shock and international students: Estimating the “Trump effect”

“…Laws and Ammigan (2020) show that since 2016, the number of international students enrolled in the US began to decrease. Hacker and Bellmore (2020) find that in the 2017–2018 academic year, international student enrollment in the US decreased by 6.6% from the 2016–2017 academic year. Van De Walker and Slate (2019) show that from fall 2016 to fall 2018, in two of the largest public Texas institutions, international graduate applicants declined by 33.34% and 18.306% from Muslim-majority countries and non-Muslim majority countries, respectively.…”

“…Many scholars (e.g. Hacker and Bellmore, 2020; Laws and Ammigan, 2020; Van De Walker and Slate, 2019; Todoran and Peterson, 2020) argue that there is a strong negative “Trump Effect” on international student flows into the US. Despite receiving wide attention from both media and academia, the effect has never been tested and estimated empirically, as one researcher (McKivigan, 2020) points out in a recent article.…”

Examining the Experiences of Campus Safety among International Students

“…While there were several limitations to the Babacan et al (2010) study, such as sampling and low response rate, the findings brought further attention to the safety needs and well-being concerns of international students. These findings are crucial as such large-scale research with international students is absent from the U.S. safety literature despite the rise in anti-immigration sentiment during the Trump administration (Hacker & Bellmore, 2020). Few investigations have gathered data on the experiences of international students who may often identify as Black, Brown, or Asian and feel at-risk given the rise in violence against people of color.…”

“…These statistics are particularly relevant as the socio-political climate in the U.S. impacts the experience and enrollment of international students. For example, "The Trump effect" (2016)(2017)(2018)(2019)(2020) ushered in another round of anti-immigration (following the call for a border wall and detention of children at the border) and anti-Muslim sentiment (following the travel ban from Muslim nations) among certain sectors of the American polity (Hacker & Bellmore, 2020). Other recent events, both on and off U.S. college campuses, have resulted in health and safety concerns for international students.…”