education

Since the end of World War II, the Fulbright Program has been one of America’s most prestigious tools of diplomacy — sending scholars abroad, welcoming researchers in and building soft power through education. But today, this flagship exchange program is under existential threat — from the State Department that runs it. As the World’s Joshua Coe learned, it could take decades to see the repercussions.

Universities in the US face the possibility of federal funding cuts if they don’t comply with White House demands to walk back initiatives the Trump administration deems biased. Internationally, the use of federal funding to force change in higher education settings is nothing new. The Trump administration might be learning from Hungarian leader Viktor Orbán.

International students — and the big tuition checks they bring  — are a key ingredient in the American college business model. But just as US colleges face a shrinking pool of domestic college-aged students, international students are feeling less welcome here. From the Higher Education desk at GBH in Boston, Kirk Carapezza reports that the shift could have major consequences for colleges – and the US economy.

After revoking hundreds of international students’ visas, the Trump administration paused the process on Friday. But the crackdown that changed the legal status of over 1,800 students has left a chilling effect on students on college campuses, as The World’s Joshua Coe reports, leaving some students wondering if they should stay or go.

Some undocumented parents and students at schools in California and around the country worry that filling out the federal financial aid form, known as FAFSA, will tip off the government to their immigration status. That information isn’t supposed to be shared with other government agencies. But, some say, the new administration means they’re in uncharted waters.