With every electoral term, each newly elected government has made the college admissions process in the US volatile, especially for international students.

In early 2025, the catch and revoke program put AI and social media monitoring to use to revoke student visas if any problematic content was found. In June, travel bans and limitations on visa terms affecting students, especially across Africa and the Middle East, were put in place for the fall 2025 admissions. By mid-2025, over 6000 student visas were revoked.

The political climate of the United States has deterred many potential applicants due to the news and stories of prospective students facing several challenges in their attempts to apply. Senior International Officer at the University of Mississippi, Blair Thompson, said that, “Social media and background checks have been taking place in admission processes since 2019.” However, newer policies have led to students having to make their profiles public and ensure that they do not have any controversial data to their name.

Thompson also said that when it comes to students who have received acceptances from colleges but are facing issues with their visa or at the embassy, universities are allowing students to defer to the spring semester or even join college the next year to best accommodate their international student body.

Since international students are not supported by or come under federal aid but are rather backed by other plans, such as university or third-party scholarships, the impact on financial aid is much lower.

Universities such as the University of Mississippi, she says, are working their hardest to fully ensure that the ability of international students to study in the US is not adversely impacted, even with the current changes at hand.

However, parents and students remain worried. In India, at school-organized college fairs, parents have said they are now wary about sending their children to the US to receive their higher education.

In response,  international students have increasingly made the change to other places, such as the United Kingdom or Europe, to pursue their education. This includes more saturation and participation of such other global universities in college fairs and a larger audience for university representatives, as seen at college fairs in Chandigarh, India, at schools (St. Kabir Public School and Strawberry Fields), and other venues such as the Global Education Fair at Hotel Aroma. 

School counsellors themselves are nudging students to apply elsewhere other than the US or at least consider all their options.

Prabhjot Kaur, local school counsellor at St Kabir Public School, Chandigarh, India, said that she has always urged students to consider a wide variety of options. She admits that the current situation has made students, especially in India, a bit hesitant towards the US as a destination. 

“Within the last year, Australia and European countries have been rising as higher education destinations due to their adaptable culture”, she feels, giving them more opportunities.

Countries like Spain, Germany and Italy have grown increasingly attractive to students due to their favorable geopolitical scenarios and the generous amount of scholarships that their universities offer. The quality of education and culture, too, have been major factors. 

“While the US has high standards of education, other countries too always have something to offer; we should try to keep our options open, ” said Kaur. She feels it’s best for parents and students to broaden their horizons. 

For the time being, it is best to be cautious. Students must be aware of meeting all documents and other guidelines in order to ensure that things move forward smoothly. 

This article was written for the Yale Daily News’ 2025 Summer Journalism Program for high school students.