Chinese student visa revocations would hit Michigan universities hard

• The Trump administration plans to ‘aggressively revoke’ visas of Chinese university students studying in US
• The move could hit Michigan universities hard: 4,000 attend U-M; while 1,000 apiece attend Michigan State and Western Michigan
• Even if courts block mass revocations, some worry a chilling effect could deter future international students

The Trump administration’s plan to “aggressively” revoke visas of Chinese students would have a huge impact on Michigan colleges, which enroll thousands of the students and receive millions of dollars in tuition from them.

Nearly 4,000 Chinese students were enrolled at the University of Michigan this year, and over 1,000 at both Western Michigan and Michigan State.

Each pays the non-resident tuition and fee rates at the school, which for undergraduates range from over $18,000 at Western to just over $60,000 at the University of Michigan.

For U-M alone, where nearly 1,300 of its Chinese nationals are undergrads, tuition and fees from them total an estimated $78 million. Non-resident graduate students also pay higher rates, and tuition and fees from the 2,700 Chinese grad students generates an estimated $140 million.

Nationwide, colleges have relied on international students to shore up declining admissions. 

“One of the levers (universities) can pull is international students and No. 1 is China,” said Dan Hurley, chief executive officer of the Michigan Association of State Universities. “This could have an outsized impact on institutions (that attract international students).”

U-M attracts the most international students among Michigan universities, as nearly 17% of all 52,855 students are from overseas. It’s 19% at Western, 9% at MSU and 5% at Wayne State University.

China remains the top country of origin for international students in Michigan. 

Nationwide, India took the top spot last year, but China still sends 277,000 to US colleges and universities, up from 63,000 in 2002, according to the International Institute of Education.

The two nations comprise more than half of the international students in the United States.

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Their tuition and fees help lower costs for Michigan students, Hurley said, and they spend millions of dollars more on local housing, food, transportation and more.

Federal education data from the 2022-23 showed that just over 9,300 international students were enrolled as undergraduates at public colleges and universities in Michigan, or 3% of the total.

The number of Chinese students attending US schools has dropped in recent years, in part because of the economy but also a 2020 executive order during the first Trump presidency that suspended entry of students studying certain fields. Under President Joe Biden, Chinese students studying STEM fields reportedly received extra scrutiny.

Trump is again upping the ante. On Wednesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the administration will target students with ties to the Chinese Community Party or who are studying in “critical fields.”

Students from both mainland China and Hong Kong will be affected. Although Rubio did not define what were “critical fields,” they are likely in the physical sciences.

Wali Khan, 24, is a Michigan State journalism student from Hong Kong who graduates in a few weeks. He is trying to get a job that will allow him to stay but is now worried about his prospects.

“I’m starting to wonder if employers are going to worry if I’m going to get deported,” said Khan, who has covered pro-Palestinian protests and police abuse cases as a journalist. “It makes me wonder what my future here is.”

Hurley said he’s hopeful the courts will prevent mass revocations, as they have blocked other Trump administration measures, both in his first term and in the last few months. 

But he fears the effort, even if blocked, will make other potential international students reconsider coming, especially students from India.

“They’re paying attention too. As is everyone,” Hurley said. “There is a chilling effect already and this could have a long tail.”

In East Lansing, Khan said he and his friends have resorted to dark humor. Some have joked about him getting sent to an “internment camp” but others have said it’s time for a “just-in-case going away party” for Khan.

He laughs as he recalls the joke. But he said he’s serious about staying. He has an American girlfriend of three years and an English bulldog.

“I’ve set down roots here. I can’t conceive of a world where I’m not staying,” Khan said.