On Wednesday, May 21, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the administration will begin to “aggressively revoke” the visas of international Chinese students, including those with ties to the Chinese Communist Party or those studying in “critical fields.”
House Republicans believe that millions of federal funds have been allocated to research partnerships linked to the Chinese government, risking the United States’ national interests. As such, in addition to visa revocations, the administration will heighten restrictions on obtaining student visas for Chinese students.
“[The government] will also revise visa criteria to enhance scrutiny of all future visa applications from the People’s Republic of China and Hong Kong,” Rubio stated in the announcement.
China had the second-largest share (around 277,000) of the 1.1 million international student population during the 2023-24 academic term. In 2024, about 20% of student visas were granted to Chinese students. Ranked 7th in schools with the largest percentages of international students in the student body, Hopkins relies on this community for financial and research contributions.
In Fall 2023, 15% of the undergraduate student body consisted of international students. The percentage of international graduate students has increased overall from 21% in 2013 to 29% in 2023. The University does not publish statistics on the number of students per country.
According to the University, Chinese international students have not experienced any visa terminations so far. Three Chinese international students affirmed receiving no notice about any visa revocations, nor any guidelines from the University.
“We aren't aware of any visa terminations under the recent policy affecting Chinese students,” a University spokesperson stated.
However, Chinese international students are experiencing heightened anxieties towards their career prospects, especially those planning to remain in the US after graduating.
In an email to The News-Letter, a student majoring in Computer Science and Neuroscience, going by the pseudonym Aiden, discussed uncertainties regarding their post-graduate opportunities. Aiden also mentioned their perspective on the lasting impact of this administrative policy — the hindrance of international contributions to American research.
“I used to have a rather clear academic plan layout after graduation, but recent policies regarding [STEM] international students and the potential societal repercussions prompted me to reconsider such possibilities to stay in the US to continue academic studies,” Aiden wrote. “The unstable policies would immensely depreciate students’ trust in the [government, which will] reduce potential for university graduates to positively impact the country, particularly [with regards to STEM] industry and research.”
Aiden also felt that the University should expand on its offered resources during this time of uncertainty — specifically by providing tangible resources for career plans.
“[The University should provide] more briefings and support for international students who are determined to pursue either academic/industrial opportunities in the US, including resources, policy interpretations and advising,” Aiden wrote.
Other Chinese international students echoed this sentiment, including students at the Peabody Institute who reported unaffected plans in response to the government’s announcement.
In an email to The News-Letter, a student studying Computer Music at the Peabody Institute, going by the pseudonym of Kenny, expressed that the University should communicate via email more frequently, especially by directly addressing the Chinese international student population to ease worries.
“Legally, I don’t think there’s much the University can do, but maybe an email addressing [the visa revocations] would be nice since there are so many Chinese and international students,” Kenny wrote. “I think the US will remain a great country only if it continues to provide a welcoming environment for scholars and talents from around the world.”
On June 2, President Ronald J. Daniels, Provost Ray Jayawardhana and Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration sent out an email addressing the broader visa revocations, emphasizing their support for the international student community.
“The recent moves by the federal government to revoke or withhold visas from eligible international students and scholars run counter to more than a century of collaboration at Hopkins with students and scholars who hail from around the world,” the email stated. “Our international community has always been critical to our research mission, and we are deeply concerned about the toll of this uncertainty on our students and on our university as a whole.”
In an email to The News-Letter, the University administration emphasized that international students should continue to follow the OIS website and regularly check for updates.
“The university is providing a wide range of support services through our Office of International Services (OIS), student well-being, and academic advising, including workshops and one-on-one advising sessions to address individual questions and needs. We encourage any member of our international community with questions about their own immigration or visa status to contact OIS at ois.jhu.edu,” a University spokesperson wrote.
On the OIS website, the department states that it recommends international students to avoid traveling outside of the country due to volatile policy.
“JHU is working diligently to review the recent executive actions to understand the impact to OIS clientele. When considering travel, keep in mind that changes can occur at any time. If you cannot afford an interruption in your studies, research, employment or teaching due to an indefinite period abroad, you should carefully consider the need to travel outside the U.S,” the website states.
Broadly in the US, House Republicans have also pressed Duke University to cut ties with Wuhan University in its partnership to create the Duke Kunshan University, stating that the partnership allowed Chinese students to access federally funded research at Duke. Since this announcement, Eastern Michigan University has announced that it is ending engineering partnerships with two Chinese universities.
This announcement falls within the administration’s broader effort to limit academic ties between the U.S. and China, particularly targeting international students. Rubio has since halted the scheduling of new visa interviews for international students to monitor their activity on social media.
The Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, has also accused Harvard of coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party due to research collaborations with Chinese scholars. This same accusation follows the Trump administration’s decision to halt Harvard from enrolling any international students, a decision currently put on hold by a federal judge due to a pending lawsuit.
Despite their plans being unaffected, some students still voiced concern about the broader educational impact of these policies. One student, a Music Engineering major at the Peabody Institute, who goes by the pseudonym Robert, shared his concerns and voiced a desire for university-administration cooperation in an email to The News-Letter.
“I hope that, through cooperation between universities and government, education will no longer be subject to excessive restrictions and constraints,” Robert wrote.
