--:-- Aisha Roscoe: I'm Aisha Roscoe, and this is a Sunday Story, where we go beyond the news of the day to bring you one big story. Today, we're looking at higher education. This is something the president has been focusing on, too.
--:-- Aisha Roscoe: We spend more money on higher education than any other country, and yet they're turning our students into communists and terrorists and sympathizers of many, many different dimensions. President Trump's complained a lot about biased teaching agendas at some universities. He's criticized the teaching of critical race theory and what he calls gender ideology. And he's argued that colleges push anti-American views. He's also complained about the treatment of Jewish students on some campuses.
--:-- Aisha Roscoe: Here's Trump at an event in Las Vegas in 2024. Colleges will and must end the anti-Semitic propaganda or they will lose their accreditation and federal support. No money will go to them if they don't. And the threat to choke off money has quickly turned real.
--:-- Aisha Roscoe: Since January, the Trump administration has withheld billions of dollars in research funding to colleges and universities across the country. The administration has also focused its attention on international students, clamping down on student visas and in some cases suspending entry as another way to strike at university enrollment and revenue.
--:-- Aisha Roscoe: It's left university leaders scrambling to plan for the future. NPR correspondent Elissa Nadworny has been following the impact of these changes on American campuses and beyond. Today on The Sunday Story, we'll talk about what she's been seeing and hearing.
--:-- Aisha Roscoe: Stay with us. This message comes from BetterHelp. It's only human to ask others for advice, like turning to your barista, hairdresser, or a taxi driver for life advice. But when you're looking for help about relationships, anxiety, depression, or other clinical issues, they may not have all the right answers.
--:-- Aisha Roscoe: Instead, get guidance from a licensed therapist online with BetterHelp. Visit BetterHelp.com slash NPR for 10% off your first month. This message comes from Doctors Without Borders. People are living through a moment defined by unrelenting crises and need.
--:-- Aisha Roscoe: Civilians are caught in the crossfire of violence and war. Malnutrition threatens the lives of children. Communities depend on life-saving humanitarian aid. Doctors Without Borders is meeting this moment of overwhelming need with action.
--:-- Aisha Roscoe: But they can't do it alone. Help provide life-saving care around the world. Learn how to donate today at doctorswithoutborders.org slash NPR. This message comes from Warby Parker. Prescription eyewear that's expertly crafted and unexpectedly affordable.
--:-- Aisha Roscoe: Glasses designed in-house from premium materials starting at just $95, including prescription lenses. Stop by a Warby Parker store near you. This is a Sunday story. I'm Aisha Roscoe, joined today by NPR correspondent Alyssa Nadwerney.
--:-- Aisha Roscoe: Hi, Alyssa. Thanks for having me. So it's a new school year. I mean, we're in it. You know, all the kids are back in school. If you're in college, fall semester is underway. Yeah.
--:-- Aisha Roscoe: And Alyssa, as a reporter covering higher ed, I can imagine you've been pretty busy. I sure have. So what have you been seeing and hearing on campuses?
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: Well, I started the school year at the University at Buffalo, which is a large public university with about 30,000 students. And like a lot of large public universities across the country, they have a substantial number of international students.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: So in a typical year, they make up about 20% of the student body there. And the school is really close to the Canadian border, but actually a lot of their international students come from India and China. But also all over, they have about 100 countries represented in their freshman class.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: So I went there for international student orientation, which happened a week before classes started. My name is Priyota, and I'm from Bangladesh. I'm Karshati, and I'm from India. My name is Rebecca, and I'm from Jamaica. I'm Minjay from Seoul, South Korea.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: So students from all over the world finally get to be on campus. They were mapping out their classes, meeting their roommates, getting their student IDs. So just smile. I'm going to take it on three. One, two, three.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: There were a lot of nerves and energy and excitement. But honestly, after such a rocky summer with all the changes and delays to student visas, there was also a lot of relief, Aisha. I mean, students were so grateful to have made it to campus, and they told me how stressful it was this summer to get visas.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: At least we're here. For me, the main thing is that I got here. I talked with Daria Tofan from Romania. I met her and Karshati Gugward from Pune, India, at an icebreaker event.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: Was the visa process hard? No, don't ask me about it. It was awful. No, it was... The uncertainty is crazy. They shut down the embassies. I just prayed so hard to God. I was like, this is the time.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: When did you have the interview? I mean, that sounds really stressful. And why has it been so hard for them to get in?
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: Yeah, well, over the last six months, the Trump administration has really tightened their grip on international student visas, citing national security and foreign policy concerns. They say they want to keep campuses safe.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: In early summer, embassies and consulates temporarily paused visa interviews around the world, and that's a time when a lot of students would be getting their visas in time to start fall semester. The State Department also revamped the student visa application and interview process, bringing additional scrutiny to the vetting system.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: So that has meant there's more denials and difficulty getting visa interviews, and of course, like, a ton of anxiety for accepted students. because you can't even register for classes unless you have your immigration documents.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: I spoke to Shivika Singh from New Delhi about this. She's a freshman about to study psychology. And when she first got accepted to Buffalo, she joined a group chat of other students from India. And a lot of those students from the chat, she says, couldn't get the visa appointments in time.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: And so they weren't at orientation with her. Most of them are now transferring to UK because of the visa situation, but some are still waiting for the spring semester.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: I guess, like, you know, given all of these recent hardships and the rhetoric from the current administration, why do international students still want to come here?
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: Well, even with the barriers, the students I talked to at Buffalo told me they still highly value a U.S. college degree. Here's Shivika again. I only had one goal from the beginning. It was to go to college here.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: So if I didn't reach that goal, it would have been very painful. I spoke to University at Buffalo Provost Scott Weber, and he told me they've been seeing a lot of deferrals. So students are waiting to start a semester later in the spring.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: We take that as a very positive sign that the value of higher education in the United States is still seen as incredibly strong and that we offer very strong academic programs for them to pursue and that they're eager to continue that pursuit.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: But the university is expecting a decline this fall of about 750 international students. That's down by about 15 percent. And the drop is mostly in graduate programs and in STEM fields
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: And Weber told me that it is a big financial hit for the school because international students often pay full tuition and that revenue is essential to the overall financial bottom line of the university.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: This has meant that they've had to focus on other ways to boost enrollment. So Weber told me they've upped their acceptance of domestic students. They actually admitted their largest freshman class to date this fall.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: Well, that seems like something that, you know, people could view as a good thing for U.S. students who want to attend the school or parents who want to send their kids to these schools.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: Yeah, that's a really good point. I mean, President Trump and other conservative voices have accused international students of taking university spots that could go to American citizens.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: And I put this question to Weber, and he denied this. He says at least at Buffalo, there is room for everyone at his university.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: I would assure you that our international students do not take spots for other students who are qualified to attend and would be successful here.
--:-- Aisha Roscoe: Alyssa, this trend of enrollment chaos, it's playing out all over from Arizona to Massachusetts. Universities are expecting similar drops in international enrollment this fall.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: So what are you hearing about how long this trend is going to last? Like, is this just a blip?
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: And even though we heard from those students who got in, I mean, there are a lot of international students who are not looking at the U.S. right now because of the visa issues and immigration crackdowns.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: Yeah. I mean, they're scared. What would that mean for the U.S. to have less international students?
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: Yeah. Well, last year, more than a million international students studied in the U.S. So it would mean a lot.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: I mean, they contribute about $43 billion to the U.S. economy. And the thing is, when they come for undergrad, they often stay for graduate programs and then postdoc research, and they get jobs.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: So there is a big economic impact. I talked with Fanta A. She leads the organization called the Association of International Educators, or NAFSA.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: odds organization predicts that there's going to be a national drop in new international students this fall, and it's going to hurt local economies.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: So the loss of international students will lead to really a significant downturn in innovation and entrepreneurship for the United States, which will have long-term impact.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: This will affect communities large and small. The organization published a report in July that suggested that local economies could lose as much as $7 billion in spending and more than 60,000 jobs.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: Now, the administration has sent a number of signals that they want to limit international students, which could potentially mean that this could be long-term for colleges.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: But Trump does seem to be paying attention to the fact that the numbers this fall are down and that that could have an economic impact.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: About a month after that report came out, he signaled a shift on international students, telling reporters that he planned to double the amount of Chinese students studying in the U.S.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: I like that their students come here. I like that other country students come here. And you know what would happen if they didn't? Our college system would go to hell very quickly.
--:-- Aisha Roscoe: Alyssa, thank you so much for all of your reporting. You bet.
--:-- Aisha Roscoe: This episode of The Sunday Story was produced by Justine Yan and edited by Jenny Schmidt, mastering by Robert Rodriguez.
--:-- Aisha Roscoe: The Sunday Story team includes Andrew Mambo and our senior supervising producer, Liana Simstrom. Irene Noguchi is our executive producer.
--:-- Aisha Roscoe: I'm Aisha Roscoe. Up First is back tomorrow with all the news you need to start your week. Until then, have a great rest of your weekend.
--:-- Aisha Roscoe: This message comes from Mint Mobile. If you're tired of spending hundreds on big wireless bills, bogus fees, and free perks, Mint Mobile might be right for you with plans starting from $15 a month.
--:-- Aisha Roscoe: Shop plans today at mintmobile.com slash switch. Upfront payment of $45 for a three-month five-gigabyte plan required. New customer offer for first three months only. Then full price plan options available. Taxes and fees extra. See Mint Mobile for details.
--:-- Aisha Roscoe: This message comes from NPR sponsor Rosetta Stone, an expert in language learning for 30 years. Right now, NPR listeners can get Rosetta Stone's lifetime membership to 25 different languages for 50% off.
--:-- Aisha Roscoe: Learn more at rosettastone.com slash NPR. This message comes from Mint Mobile. From the gas pump to the grocery store, inflation is everywhere. So Mint Mobile is offering premium wireless starting at just $15 a month.
--:-- Aisha Roscoe: To get your new phone plan for just $15, go to mintmobile.com slash switch.
--:-- Aisha Roscoe: I'm Aisha Roscoe, and this is a Sunday Story. Today, we're looking at higher education. This is something the president has been focusing on, too.
--:-- Aisha Roscoe: We spend more money on higher education than any other country, and yet they're turning our students into communists and terrorists and sympathizers of many, many different dimensions.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: I'm Aisha Roscoe, joined today by NPR correspondent Alyssa Nadwerney. Hi, Alyssa. Thanks for having me.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: So it's a new school year. I mean, we're in it. You know, all the kids are back in school. If you're in college, fall semester is underway. Yeah.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: And Alyssa, as a reporter covering higher ed, I can imagine you've been pretty busy. I sure have. So what have you been seeing and hearing on campuses?
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: Well, I started the school year at the University at Buffalo, which is a large public university with about 30,000 students. And like a lot of large public universities across the country, they have a substantial number of international students.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: So in a typical year, they make up about 20% of the student body there. And the school is really close to the Canadian border, but actually a lot of their international students come from India and China. But also all over, they have about 100 countries represented in their freshman class.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: So I went there for international student orientation, which happened a week before classes started. My name is Priyota, and I'm from Bangladesh. I'm Karshati, and I'm from India. My name is Rebecca, and I'm from Jamaica. I'm Minjay from Seoul, South Korea.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: So students from all over the world finally get to be on campus. They were mapping out their classes, meeting their roommates, getting their student IDs. So just smile. I'm going to take it on three. One, two, three.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: There were a lot of nerves and energy and excitement. But honestly, after such a rocky summer with all the changes and delays to student visas, there was also a lot of relief, Aisha. I mean, students were so grateful to have made it to campus, and they told me how stressful it was this summer to get visas.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: At least we're here. For me, the main thing is that I got here. I talked with Daria Tofan from Romania. I met her and Karshati Gugward from Pune, India, at an icebreaker event.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: Was the visa process hard? No, don't ask me about it. It was awful. No, it was... The uncertainty is crazy. They shut down the embassies. I just prayed so hard to God. I was like, this is the time.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: When did you have the interview? I mean, that sounds really stressful. And why has it been so hard for them to get in?
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: Yeah, well, over the last six months, the Trump administration has really tightened their grip on international student visas, citing national security and foreign policy concerns. They say they want to keep campuses safe.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: In early summer, embassies and consulates temporarily paused visa interviews around the world, and that's a time when a lot of students would be getting their visas in time to start fall semester. The State Department also revamped the student visa application and interview process, bringing additional scrutiny to the vetting system.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: So that has meant there's more denials and difficulty getting visa interviews, and of course, like, a ton of anxiety for accepted students. because you can't even register for classes unless you have your immigration documents.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: I spoke to Shivika Singh from New Delhi about this. She's a freshman about to study psychology. And when she first got accepted to Buffalo, she joined a group chat of other students from India. And a lot of those students from the chat, she says, couldn't get the visa appointments in time.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: And so they weren't at orientation with her. Most of them are now transferring to UK because of the visa situation, but some are still waiting for the spring semester.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: I guess, like, you know, given all of these recent hardships and the rhetoric from the current administration, why do international students still want to come here?
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: Well, even with the barriers, the students I talked to at Buffalo told me they still highly value a U.S. college degree. Here's Shivika again. I only had one goal from the beginning. It was to go to college here.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: So if I didn't reach that goal, it would have been very painful. I spoke to University at Buffalo Provost Scott Weber, and he told me they've been seeing a lot of deferrals. So students are waiting to start a semester later in the spring.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: We take that as a very positive sign that the value of higher education in the United States is still seen as incredibly strong and that we offer very strong academic programs for them to pursue and that they're eager to continue that pursuit.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: But the university is expecting a decline this fall of about 750 international students. That's down by about 15 percent. And the drop is mostly in graduate programs and in STEM fields
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: And Weber told me that it is a big financial hit for the school because international students often pay full tuition and that revenue is essential to the overall financial bottom line of the university.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: This has meant that they've had to focus on other ways to boost enrollment. So Weber told me they've upped their acceptance of domestic students. They actually admitted their largest freshman class to date this fall.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: Well, that seems like something that, you know, people could view as a good thing for U.S. students who want to attend the school or parents who want to send their kids to these schools.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: Yeah, that's a really good point. I mean, President Trump and other conservative voices have accused international students of taking university spots that could go to American citizens.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: And I put this question to Weber, and he denied this. He says at least at Buffalo, there is room for everyone at his university.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: I would assure you that our international students do not take spots for other students who are qualified to attend and would be successful here.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: Alyssa, this trend of enrollment chaos, it's playing out all over from Arizona to Massachusetts. Universities are expecting similar drops in international enrollment this fall.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: So what are you hearing about how long this trend is going to last? Like, is this just a blip?
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: And even though we heard from those students who got in, I mean, there are a lot of international students who are not looking at the U.S. right now because of the visa issues and immigration crackdowns.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: Yeah. I mean, they're scared. What would that mean for the U.S. to have less international students?
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: Yeah. Well, last year, more than a million international students studied in the U.S. So it would mean a lot.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: I mean, they contribute about $43 billion to the U.S. economy. And the thing is, when they come for undergrad, they often stay for graduate programs and then postdoc research, and they get jobs.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: So there is a big economic impact. I talked with Fanta A. She leads the organization called the Association of International Educators, or NAFSA.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: odds organization predicts that there's going to be a national drop in new international students this fall, and it's going to hurt local economies.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: So the loss of international students will lead to really a significant downturn in innovation and entrepreneurship for the United States, which will have long-term impact.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: This will affect communities large and small. The organization published a report in July that suggested that local economies could lose as much as $7 billion in spending and more than 60,000 jobs.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: Now, the administration has sent a number of signals that they want to limit international students, which could potentially mean that this could be long-term for colleges.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: But Trump does seem to be paying attention to the fact that the numbers this fall are down and that that could have an economic impact.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: About a month after that report came out, he signaled a shift on international students, telling reporters that he planned to double the amount of Chinese students studying in the U.S.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: I like that their students come here. I like that other country students come here. And you know what would happen if they didn't? Our college system would go to hell very quickly.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: Alyssa, thank you so much for all of your reporting. You bet.
--:-- Aisha Roscoe: This episode of The Sunday Story was produced by Justine Yan and edited by Jenny Schmidt, mastering by Robert Rodriguez.
--:-- Aisha Roscoe: The Sunday Story team includes Andrew Mambo and our senior supervising producer, Liana Simstrom. Irene Noguchi is our executive producer.
--:-- Aisha Roscoe: I'm Aisha Roscoe. Up First is back tomorrow with all the news you need to start your week. Until then, have a great rest of your weekend.
--:-- Aisha Roscoe: This message comes from Mint Mobile. If you're tired of spending hundreds on big wireless bills, bogus fees, and free perks, Mint Mobile might be right for you with plans starting from $15 a month.
--:-- Aisha Roscoe: Shop plans today at mintmobile.com slash switch. Upfront payment of $45 for a three-month five-gigabyte plan required. New customer offer for first three months only. Then full price plan options available. Taxes and fees extra. See Mint Mobile for details.
--:-- Aisha Roscoe: This message comes from NPR sponsor Rosetta Stone, an expert in language learning for 30 years. Right now, NPR listeners can get Rosetta Stone's lifetime membership to 25 different languages for 50% off.
--:-- Aisha Roscoe: Learn more at rosettastone.com slash NPR. This message comes from Mint Mobile. From the gas pump to the grocery store, inflation is everywhere. So Mint Mobile is offering premium wireless starting at just $15 a month.
--:-- Aisha Roscoe: To get your new phone plan for just $15, go to mintmobile.com slash switch.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: I'm Aisha Roscoe, joined today by NPR correspondent Alyssa Nadwerney. Hi, Alyssa. Thanks for having me.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: So it's a new school year. I mean, we're in it. You know, all the kids are back in school. If you're in college, fall semester is underway. Yeah.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: And Alyssa, as a reporter covering higher ed, I can imagine you've been pretty busy. I sure have. So what have you been seeing and hearing on campuses?
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: Well, I started the school year at the University at Buffalo, which is a large public university with about 30,000 students. And like a lot of large public universities across the country, they have a substantial number of international students.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: So in a typical year, they make up about 20% of the student body there. And the school is really close to the Canadian border, but actually a lot of their international students come from India and China. But also all over, they have about 100 countries represented in their freshman class.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: So I went there for international student orientation, which happened a week before classes started. My name is Priyota, and I'm from Bangladesh. I'm Karshati, and I'm from India. My name is Rebecca, and I'm from Jamaica. I'm Minjay from Seoul, South Korea.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: So students from all over the world finally get to be on campus. They were mapping out their classes, meeting their roommates, getting their student IDs. So just smile. I'm going to take it on three. One, two, three.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: There were a lot of nerves and energy and excitement. But honestly, after such a rocky summer with all the changes and delays to student visas, there was also a lot of relief, Aisha. I mean, students were so grateful to have made it to campus, and they told me how stressful it was this summer to get visas.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: At least we're here. For me, the main thing is that I got here. I talked with Daria Tofan from Romania. I met her and Karshati Gugward from Pune, India, at an icebreaker event.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: Was the visa process hard? No, don't ask me about it. It was awful. No, it was... The uncertainty is crazy. They shut down the embassies. I just prayed so hard to God. I was like, this is the time.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: When did you have the interview? I mean, that sounds really stressful. And why has it been so hard for them to get in?
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: Yeah, well, over the last six months, the Trump administration has really tightened their grip on international student visas, citing national security and foreign policy concerns. They say they want to keep campuses safe.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: In early summer, embassies and consulates temporarily paused visa interviews around the world, and that's a time when a lot of students would be getting their visas in time to start fall semester. The State Department also revamped the student visa application and interview process, bringing additional scrutiny to the vetting system.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: So that has meant there's more denials and difficulty getting visa interviews, and of course, like, a ton of anxiety for accepted students. because you can't even register for classes unless you have your immigration documents.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: I spoke to Shivika Singh from New Delhi about this. She's a freshman about to study psychology. And when she first got accepted to Buffalo, she joined a group chat of other students from India. And a lot of those students from the chat, she says, couldn't get the visa appointments in time.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: And so they weren't at orientation with her. Most of them are now transferring to UK because of the visa situation, but some are still waiting for the spring semester.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: I guess, like, you know, given all of these recent hardships and the rhetoric from the current administration, why do international students still want to come here?
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: Well, even with the barriers, the students I talked to at Buffalo told me they still highly value a U.S. college degree. Here's Shivika again. I only had one goal from the beginning. It was to go to college here.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: So if I didn't reach that goal, it would have been very painful. I spoke to University at Buffalo Provost Scott Weber, and he told me they've been seeing a lot of deferrals. So students are waiting to start a semester later in the spring.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: We take that as a very positive sign that the value of higher education in the United States is still seen as incredibly strong and that we offer very strong academic programs for them to pursue and that they're eager to continue that pursuit.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: But the university is expecting a decline this fall of about 750 international students. That's down by about 15 percent. And the drop is mostly in graduate programs and in STEM fields
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: And Weber told me that it is a big financial hit for the school because international students often pay full tuition and that revenue is essential to the overall financial bottom line of the university.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: This has meant that they've had to focus on other ways to boost enrollment. So Weber told me they've upped their acceptance of domestic students. They actually admitted their largest freshman class to date this fall.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: Well, that seems like something that, you know, people could view as a good thing for U.S. students who want to attend the school or parents who want to send their kids to these schools.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: Yeah, that's a really good point. I mean, President Trump and other conservative voices have accused international students of taking university spots that could go to American citizens.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: And I put this question to Weber, and he denied this. He says at least at Buffalo, there is room for everyone at his university.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: I would assure you that our international students do not take spots for other students who are qualified to attend and would be successful here.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: Alyssa, this trend of enrollment chaos, it's playing out all over from Arizona to Massachusetts. Universities are expecting similar drops in international enrollment this fall.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: So what are you hearing about how long this trend is going to last? Like, is this just a blip?
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: And even though we heard from those students who got in, I mean, there are a lot of international students who are not looking at the U.S. right now because of the visa issues and immigration crackdowns.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: Yeah. I mean, they're scared. What would that mean for the U.S. to have less international students?
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: Yeah. Well, last year, more than a million international students studied in the U.S. So it would mean a lot.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: I mean, they contribute about $43 billion to the U.S. economy. And the thing is, when they come for undergrad, they often stay for graduate programs and then postdoc research, and they get jobs.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: So there is a big economic impact. I talked with Fanta A. She leads the organization called the Association of International Educators, or NAFSA.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: odds organization predicts that there's going to be a national drop in new international students this fall, and it's going to hurt local economies.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: So the loss of international students will lead to really a significant downturn in innovation and entrepreneurship for the United States, which will have long-term impact.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: This will affect communities large and small. The organization published a report in July that suggested that local economies could lose as much as $7 billion in spending and more than 60,000 jobs.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: Now, the administration has sent a number of signals that they want to limit international students, which could potentially mean that this could be long-term for colleges.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: But Trump does seem to be paying attention to the fact that the numbers this fall are down and that that could have an economic impact.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: About a month after that report came out, he signaled a shift on international students, telling reporters that he planned to double the amount of Chinese students studying in the U.S.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: I like that their students come here. I like that other country students come here. And you know what would happen if they didn't? Our college system would go to hell very quickly.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: Alyssa, thank you so much for all of your reporting. You bet.
--:-- Aisha Roscoe: This episode of The Sunday Story was produced by Justine Yan and edited by Jenny Schmidt, mastering by Robert Rodriguez.
--:-- Aisha Roscoe: The Sunday Story team includes Andrew Mambo and our senior supervising producer, Liana Simstrom. Irene Noguchi is our executive producer.
--:-- Aisha Roscoe: I'm Aisha Roscoe. Up First is back tomorrow with all the news you need to start your week. Until then, have a great rest of your weekend.
--:-- Aisha Roscoe: This message comes from Mint Mobile. If you're tired of spending hundreds on big wireless bills, bogus fees, and free perks, Mint Mobile might be right for you with plans starting from $15 a month.
--:-- Aisha Roscoe: Shop plans today at mintmobile.com slash switch. Upfront payment of $45 for a three-month five-gigabyte plan required. New customer offer for first three months only. Then full price plan options available. Taxes and fees extra. See Mint Mobile for details.
--:-- Aisha Roscoe: This message comes from NPR sponsor Rosetta Stone, an expert in language learning for 30 years. Right now, NPR listeners can get Rosetta Stone's lifetime membership to 25 different languages for 50% off.
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--:-- Aisha Roscoe: I'm Aisha Roscoe, and this is a Sunday Story. Today, we're looking at higher education. This is something the president has been focusing on, too.
--:-- Aisha Roscoe: We spend more money on higher education than any other country, and yet they're turning our students into communists and terrorists and sympathizers of many, many different dimensions.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: I'm Aisha Roscoe, joined today by NPR correspondent Alyssa Nadwerney. Hi, Alyssa. Thanks for having me.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: So it's a new school year. I mean, we're in it. You know, all the kids are back in school. If you're in college, fall semester is underway. Yeah.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: And Alyssa, as a reporter covering higher ed, I can imagine you've been pretty busy. I sure have. So what have you been seeing and hearing on campuses?
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: Well, I started the school year at the University at Buffalo, which is a large public university with about 30,000 students. And like a lot of large public universities across the country, they have a substantial number of international students.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: So in a typical year, they make up about 20% of the student body there. And the school is really close to the Canadian border, but actually a lot of their international students come from India and China. But also all over, they have about 100 countries represented in their freshman class.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: So I went there for international student orientation, which happened a week before classes started. My name is Priyota, and I'm from Bangladesh. I'm Karshati, and I'm from India. My name is Rebecca, and I'm from Jamaica. I'm Minjay from Seoul, South Korea.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: So students from all over the world finally get to be on campus. They were mapping out their classes, meeting their roommates, getting their student IDs. So just smile. I'm going to take it on three. One, two, three.
--:-- Alyssa Nadwerney: There were a lot of nerves and energy and excitement. But honestly, after such
