Overview

• President Trump announced on June 11 that Chinese students can continue studying at US colleges under terms of a pending US-China trade agreement.
• The reversal follows earlier administration actions, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s vow to aggressively revoke Chinese student visas and an executive order barring new international enrollees at Harvard.
• Universities report widespread confusion after months of visa revocations, suspended consular interviews and fluctuating White House directives on international enrollment.
• Chinese nationals make up the second-largest group of foreign students in the US, whose tuition contributes substantially to universities and fuels an estimated $43.8 billion annual economic impact.
• Education advocates and campus leaders say implementation details remain unclear and are pressing for concrete guidance on visa renewals and application procedures.