OP-ED: International students are good for America
The Swarthmore Bulletin is a quarterly magazine mailed to all alumni of the college. Normally, I turn to the final pages and read the class notes to catch up on the news of those who graduated with me. Then I return to the front of the magazine to review the books written by Swarthmore graduates over the past three months. Lastly, I skim the articles for interesting topics.
The current summer issue was unique. On the cover was a photograph of four students from foreign countries who were attending Swarthmore. The title of the issue was “A Global Community.” I eagerly read the articles covering this topic and was struck by the importance of foreign students to the college. Moreover, as Swarthmore graduates from other countries entered the workforce in all manner of professions, their contributions to our nation and to the world were astounding.
The editor of the Bulletin sets the stage with the following introduction: “Swarthmore’s global community is a snapshot of everything that lends to the cause of celebration in the U.S. – our diversity and our commitment to social equity and the pursuit of and access to knowledge. This unfolds in landscapes near and far.”
One article focuses on a project called “THE 1875.” The project name honors the year the first known international student came to Swarthmore. It traces the history of Swarthmore’s international students and how they enriched the fabric of the college. The project addressed important questions. What was it like to be an international student 50 years ago? What about now? How does the college continue to grow and strengthen this important community?
Since 1875, students from 133 countries have been admitted. The project documents the generations of international students who have forged lifelong friendships, overcame obstacles, and left their mark on the world. Their stories are a testament to the resilience, adaptability, and contributions of Swarthmore’s global community. The goal is to strengthen the ties between international students and the college as a whole, fostering a sense of belonging that extends beyond graduation.
A second article, “A Story of Welcome,” goes back in time to document a 1942 endeavor sponsored by Philadelphia Quakers and Swarthmore. John Nasson, then Swarthmore president, led an effort to relocate young, college-aged Japanese from West Coast internment camps and to place them in East Coast academic institutions. The effort removed almost 5,000 students from the camps and helped them gain a degree from prestigious institutions.
Among the Japanese admitted to Swarthmore were three members of the Inouye family. After the war, two became physicians and one a physics researcher.
Lastly, “A Full Circle Moment” tells the story of recent Swarthmore graduate Narangarav Enkhtaivan, a native of Mongolia. She arrived in 2023 through the Mongolian Young Scholars initiative and now helps run the program. Her goal is to repair the Mongolian education system which suffers because of underfunding and the fact that one-third of Mongolian families are nomadic herders.
While Swarthmore celebrates its foreign students, throughout the nation other institutions that recruit international applicants have been devastated by the Trump administration. Larger public and research universities rely on federal dollars to fund labs, employ staff, and to innovate with private companies. In these cases, federal funds can make up over 40% of total revenue. Even Harvard University, with its massive endowment, depends on federal dollars for 11% of its yearly operating costs and for 66% of its annual research budget.
When President Trump resumed office in 2025, foreign students became an immediate target. Using unfounded rationalizations concerning national security and the threat to the employment of American citizens, Trump sought to restrict legal immigration of students. This policy dovetailed with Trump’s plans to pressure elite universities on political and ideological issues.
The Trump State Department has revoked student visas for foreign-born individuals who participated in campus demonstrations. At our most elite universities, including Harvard, the Trump administration has moved to withdraw foreign student enrollment certificates.
A new rule issued by The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) places a strict four-year admissions cap on students to discourage them from seeking employment in the U.S. The post graduate departure date has been shortened from 60 to 30 days. In late July, DHS announced a rule that will add strict time limits to student visas. It will restrict student transfers from one program to another and/or changes to study plans.
In Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University is an important research center with many Ph.D. programs that are longer than four years. It has a large number of international students who will be affected by the new rules. The school administration announced plans for a town hall for the upcoming fall semester. It stated in part, “Changes can cause uncertainty and anxiety. We want students to know that we are here to support you.”
Even a small private college like Swarthmore, with little federal funding, is affected. The new federal restrictions on international students threaten the college’s diverse campus community, creates administrative burdens for foreign enrollment, and challenges the school’s core institutional values.
International students are good for America. Most pay full tuition, which helps fund university budgets at a time when domestic student populations are dropping. These students provide diverse viewpoints and unique life experiences to help prepare our domestic students for living in a multicultural world.
Gary Stout is a Washington attorney.