(UNITED STATES) The Trump administration moved in late August to tighten the rules for international students, proposing a strict four-year maximum stay for most F, J, and M visa holders and ending the long-running duration of status policy that let students remain in the country as long as they kept full-time enrollment. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) says the change, announced August 27–28, 2025, will curb “visa abuse” and improve oversight. Higher education leaders warn it will push students away from the United States, hurt local jobs, and drive a sharp drop in campus enrollment starting this fall.
Under the proposal, DHS would also cut the post-completion grace period in half, from 60 to 30 days — a Grace Period Reduction that colleges say will complicate graduation plans and short-term research work. A new $250 “Visa Integrity Fee” would take effect on October 1, 2025, raising costs for all nonimmigrant visa applicants, including those seeking a student visa. The administration further plans to require public social media disclosures and limit interview waivers, which will push more applicants to attend in-person appointments at U.S. consulates.
Universities and international education groups argue that the combined policies — shorter stays, new vetting, extra fees, and stricter interviews — amount to a broad barrier to study in the United States. Modeling cited by sector groups suggests new international student enrollment could fall by 30–40% in Fall 2025, leading to a 15% decline overall. The projected economic hit in 2025–26: nearly $7 billion in lost revenue and more than 60,000 jobs at risk in college towns and cities where student spending supports housing, dining, transit, and retail. According to analysis by VisaVerge.com, the estimated drop would reduce total international student contributions from $46.1 billion in 2024–25 to about $39.2 billion in 2025–26.
DHS defends the initiative as a needed reset. Officials say prior policies let students stay “virtually indefinitely,” creating safety and financial risks and making enforcement hard. The agency argues that clear end dates will improve compliance, while social media checks and more in-person interviews will strengthen screening. For updates and the forthcoming rule text, DHS directs the public to the Department of Homeland Security.
Higher education leaders see it differently. Fanta Aw, CEO of NAFSA: Association of International Educators, called the measure “a dangerous overreach,” warning it will scare away students, weaken research, and cut into local jobs. Associations representing colleges and universities, including the American Council on Education, have sent letters to the State Department outlining concerns about visa processing slowdowns, mass visa revocations in the spring, and growing uncertainty for Chinese nationals in particular. They say the rule would hit STEM labs, joint degree programs, and long projects that often require more than four years to complete.
Policy Changes Overview
- Four-year cap on F, J, M stays (proposed): Ends the long-standing duration of status model. Students who need more time would face new extension hurdles and possible denials. DHS says this addresses oversight gaps and limits overstay risks.
- Grace Period Reduction to 30 days (proposed): Graduates would have half the time to wrap up housing, travel, and next steps. Universities warn this could disrupt transitions between program levels or post-study plans.
- $250 Visa Integrity Fee (effective Oct. 1, 2025): Applies to all nonimmigrant categories, including anyone applying for a student visa. Officials argue it funds fraud prevention and screening.
- Social media vetting (effective June 18, 2025): Applicants must make profiles public and disclose usernames from the past five years. Consular officers will review posts and activity.
- Narrowed interview waivers (effective Sep. 2, 2025): Fewer applicants qualify for mail-in or drop-box renewal; more must appear in person, increasing travel and scheduling burdens.
- Visa bans targeting 19 countries (effective June 4, 2025): An executive order already restricts many student visa applicants from those countries, with rumors that 36 more may be added. Sector analysts estimate the bans alone threaten about $3 billion a year and 25,000 jobs.
If finalized as planned, the rule and fee changes would take effect October 1, 2025. DHS says it will open a 30-day public comment window upon publication, inviting feedback from schools, businesses, and the public.
Impact on Applicants and Institutions
For students, the shift from duration of status to a fixed end date brings new uncertainty. A four-year cap could force schedule changes for dual-degree paths, Ph.D. timelines, and clinical placements that run longer than traditional degree programs.
The shorter 30-day grace period will tighten deadlines for moving out, settling accounts, collecting transcripts, and arranging travel. New social media scrutiny adds a layer of personal exposure that some students fear may be misread or taken out of context.
Colleges say they will face higher administrative workloads to track compliance, document exceptions, and support reapplications. Campus international offices expect more questions about transcript pacing, program changes, and what happens if a visa extension is denied late in a degree plan.
Universities also worry about deferred enrollments and lost deposits as students weigh easier options in Canada 🇨🇦, the UK, and Australia. The United States 🇺🇸, they warn, could lose share in the global education market at a time when other countries are expanding pathways from study to work.
Recent enforcement and timing
The timing compounds the risk. In Spring 2025, thousands of F-1 visas were revoked, including cases tied to political activity, criminal records checks, or nationality-based bans, according to institutional letters and advocacy groups. Attempts to revoke Harvard’s SEVP certification prompted legal challenges and temporary court orders, but the administration has continued to roll out restrictions through proclamations and agency guidance.
Since January 2025, the administration has issued more than 140 executive orders involving immigration.
Economic and academic consequences
Economic projections are stark:
| Metric | 2024–25 | Projected 2025–26 |
|---|---|---|
| Total international student contributions | $46.1 billion | $39.2 billion (estimated) |
| Revenue loss | — | Nearly $7 billion |
| Jobs at risk | — | Over 60,000 |
| New enrollment drop (Fall 2025) | — | 30–40% (new students) |
| Overall enrollment decline | — | 15% |
Analysts note international students supported nearly 400,000 jobs in 2024–25. The proposed policy, travel bans, and new screening could bring a rapid fall in tuition revenue across public and private campuses. Research budgets that rely on graduate assistants may shrink, and local landlords could see higher vacancy rates. Long-standing partnerships with overseas universities may slow, as program directors struggle to plan research cycles longer than four years.
Supporters’ Rationale
DHS and supporters in Congress argue the rule will:
- Protect program integrity and national security
- Provide clear limits to help officers make fair, consistent decisions
- Stop “school-hopping” by limiting program changes designed to extend stay
- Narrow interview waivers, which they say grew too broad during the pandemic, to catch fraud and deter misuse
They say social media checks and in-person interviews strengthen screening and improve compliance.
“Clear end dates will improve compliance,” officials have asserted, arguing prior policies allowed indefinite stays that created enforcement challenges.
Critics’ Concerns
Critics counter with the following points:
- Existing systems already allow for checks and compliance without a rigid four-year cap.
- Mandatory public social media disclosure could chill free speech and expose personal data.
- The Visa Integrity Fee is viewed by NAFSA, ACE, and campus leaders as a tax on students that U.S. competitors do not impose at similar levels.
- International students already pay high tuition and contribute heavily to local economies; additional fees and restrictions will deter them.
- Fixed caps may force rushed academic work or sudden exits that derail careers, especially in research-heavy fields.
Legal, Administrative, and Campus Responses
Legal and advocacy organizations are preparing to respond. They advise students and schools to:
- Track the Federal Register docket for the proposed rule.
- File comments within the 30-day public comment window.
- Plan for more in-person consular appointments due to narrowed interview waivers.
- Expect longer case review times because of social media requirements and potential backlogs.
On campuses, administrators are mapping contingency plans:
- Earlier course scheduling and faster credential evaluations.
- Clearer guidance on housing move-out timelines to account for the Grace Period Reduction.
- Updated pre-arrival checklists that include social media disclosure steps and travel planning for required interviews.
- Reevaluation of fall intake sizes to manage risk if late visa decisions lead to no-shows.
Context and Outlook
The proposed rule arrives amid growing use of executive power on immigration under President Trump. Since January, policy shifts have included broader grounds for visa revocation and new speech-related standards for international students. The June 4 executive order blocking student visas for nationals of 19 countries has already limited consular operations and eligibility; talk of adding 36 more countries is fueling fresh anxiety.
Sector groups stress that the U.S. can protect program integrity without rigid four-year caps. They note that American degrees, especially in research-intensive fields, often stretch beyond four years for reasons tied to lab access, fieldwork, or dissertation reviews. Fixed caps may force rushed work or sudden exits that derail academic careers, and once students move to competitor destinations with clearer rules and longer stays, rebuilding trust and market share could take years.
For now, the proposal is not final. DHS emphasizes it will review public comments before issuing a final rule. Colleges, business groups, and city leaders say they will press for changes, including restoring duration of status for students who maintain good standing and softening the grace period cut.
If the administration publishes the final rule on or before October 1, 2025, the new limits, fee, and screening steps would take effect immediately on that date.
As campuses open for the fall term, uncertainty remains. Students and schools are watching whether the rule changes as it moves through the process — and whether further country-specific visa restrictions arrive. Sector leaders warn that the longer the uncertainty lingers, the more students will look elsewhere for stable paths to study and research.
This Article in a Nutshell
In late August 2025, DHS proposed major changes to U.S. student-visa rules: a four-year cap for most F, J, and M visas, elimination of duration-of-status, a reduction of the post-completion grace period from 60 to 30 days, a $250 Visa Integrity Fee effective October 1, 2025, mandatory social media disclosures, and narrower interview waivers. DHS frames the measures as necessary to curb visa abuse and improve oversight. Higher education groups warn the package will deter international enrollment, disrupt multi-year research and degree programs, and damage local economies. Analysts estimate a 30–40% drop in new international students for Fall 2025, a 15% overall enrollment decline, nearly $7 billion in lost revenue, and more than 60,000 jobs at risk. The rule would open a 30-day public comment period; stakeholders are preparing responses and contingency plans.
