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Fewer foreign students, fewer dollars: U.S. colleges feel the pinch

DePaul University joins dozens of U.S. universities facing budget cuts as Trump administration visa rules and funding policies drive steep declines in international student enrollment.

Students walk on the campus of DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., October 2, 2025. / REUTERS/Jim Vondruska

DePaul University has told faculty it will immediately reduce spending following a 30 percent decline in international enrollment this fall. The move is the latest by U.S. colleges to cope with the disruptive education and immigration policies of President Donald Trump. 

The amount of the reduction is to be determined, but measures could include a hiring freeze, executive pay cuts and discretionary spending limits, university president Robert Manuel wrote in a memo to faculty on Sept. 30.

Overall international enrollment at the private Catholic university in Chicago decreased by 755 students compared to last year, Manuel said. The number of first-year international graduate students fell at an even steeper pace  — by nearly 62 percent. DePaul enrolled some 21,000 students last year, about 2,500 of them from abroad. 

Manuel attributed this year’s decline to students having difficulty getting visas and losing interest in studying in the U.S. following changes in federal policy. 

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