Texas university hit with $45M deficit as international student numbers plunge amid visa crackdown

[BlueWaveNeverEnd]

https://www.financialexpress.com/world-news/us-news/texas-university-hit-with-45m-deficit-as-international-student-numbers-plunge-amid-visa-crackdown/4146912/



The University of North Texas is projecting a $45 million structural deficit, largely driven by a sharp fall in international master’s students.

The University of North Texas is dealing with a serious money problem. According to FOX 4, school now expects a $45 million budget deficit, about $14 million more than it had earlier predicted. University leaders say this is not a short-term issue. They are calling it a “structural” deficit, meaning the gap in money will not fix itself anytime soon. A big reason behind this shortfall is believed to be the sharp drop in international master’s student enrollment.

Why international students matter so much
By comparison, International students usually pay much higher tuition and fees than students from Texas. For years, that helped the university grow. Citing UNT President Harrison Keller’s letter to staff, FOX 4 reported that the decline in these students has hit the university’s finances hard. These students usually pay much higher tuition and fees than Texas residents. For years, that extra revenue helped the university grow.

In a letter to staff, Keller did not hide his concern. “Nobody could have envisioned what was going to be happening in international student enrollments,” he said. He explained that programs such as data science and computer science depended heavily on international master’s students. “A significant number of those master’s students, particularly in some fields, data science, computer science, were international master’s students,” Keller said. When those students stopped enrolling in the same numbers, the financial hit was immediate

Federal visa changes and fewer students
University officials say changes in federal immigration policy have made it harder for many international students to enroll and remain in the United States. In January, the State Department said it had revoked 8,000 student visas as part of its mission to “Keep America safe.” Around the same time, data from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center showed nearly 10,000 fewer foreign students enrolled in graduate programs in Fall 2025.

From 2025 to 2026, new international student enrollment dropped by 17%. That decline led to about $1.1 billion in lost revenue nationwide and nearly 23,000 fewer jobs. Texas alone saw an estimated loss of $64.6 million.

[msongs]

1. Nobody could have envisioned...lol

[RainCaster]

2. It enters the FO stage for TX

I'm having a hard time finding any sympathy here.

[RockRaven]

3. Oh, man, if only the people of Texas could have done something to avoid this...

[sheshe2]

4. Republic-cons own Texas and they did this.

And you keep voting them into power.

Texas deserves better representation and it is up to the voters to make that happen.

[ColoringFool]

5. As They Say, "It's A Start."

[Deuxcents]

6. International students maybe be staying closer to home..it's most likely safer in more ways than one.

[SunSeeker]

8. US students are doing the opposite. They're getting the fuck out of here.

https://www.theteenmagazine.com/why-american-students-are-fleeing-to-european-universities#:~:text=International%20students%20have%20always%20been,so%2C%20what%20are%20the%20reasons?

[SunSeeker]

7. Meanwhile, students are flocking to Canadian and European universities.

Canada is experiencing a jump in US applicants. https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/canadian-universities-report-jump-us-applicants-trump-cuts-funding-2025-04-15/

[DFW]

9. Many foreign students considering US Universities do not understand the scholarship system

They all know that US universities are expensive, and if their families have the money (or access to it), they apply, and otherwise, they don't. That is by no means an ironclad rule, but it is more the rule than the exception. So, then comes the question of where affluent families want to send their sons and daughters (and where they want to go). Today's headlines are full of foreign citizens getting harassed and physically assaulted by so-called "law enforcement" in the USA, and the goal of a US university education has diminished significantly among world academia as something to strive for. A drop in foreign applications will automatically mean a drop in cash coming in for all but the ten top universities in the USA. If you're a super-wealthy family in France or Dubai, and your kid is accepted at Yale, chances are, they'll still go. The University of North Texas, on the other hand is probably not the ONLY school a prospective foreign college applicant has applied to. If a foreign student and/or their family feels there is a greater chance of returning home alive and un-arrested if they choose to go to school outside the USA, I can certainly understand the reasoning behind the decision.

[harumph]

12. DFW, we're in north Texas and my son has been applying to colleges --

We actually looked at McGill and others. Mrs. Harumph and I encouraged him to apply out of state - at colleges located in soundly blue states - where he's been accepted with various scholarships. He wanted to go to UT, but it isn't what it used to be. For us at least, Austin has lost much of its charm. Had I known how generous some of the colleges in Quebec were for what he wants to do, I would've strongly encouraged him to study French in HS. My family is Texan for many generations, and my wife's from upstate NY.
Things are somewhat complicated at present, but mentally our bags are packed so to speak. That said, we'll be here to vote in the midterms and the 2028 election.

[purr-rat beauty]

10. Good...fucking good

If they're gonna jam their fists down our throat, soon the bite will come.

[Johnny2X2X]

11. It is not safe to travel to the US

Awful things are happening on the regular to people visiting the US.

If they find some paperwork issue with your travel visa, they don't give you the chance to correct it or to just fly back home, they arrest you and send you to these torture chamber concentration camp where you can wait months and months sleeping on the floor, freezing, and eating maggot infested food before you even get a chance to go back home. These people are getting bonuses by the number of people they do this to.

Some paperwork error used to be something you can correct, or at worst something that they'd prevent you from coming in for and you'd have to catch a flight home, not anymore, your arrest means big bucks to everyone down the line, so that's what's happening.

[Johonny]

13. Womp womp

Only a moron couldn't see that coming.

[ITAL]

14. My alma mater

I moved to California after graduating, but it I still have a lot of ties there (multiple family across generations have attended NT). The University has one of the best music schools in the nation and used to get a lot of foreign students that way.

Sad to see this, but not surprised.

[BlueWaveNeverEnd]

15. Really sad..