RIT is projected to see a large drop in international students following a U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ruling. A press release titled “Trump Administration Issues Final Rule to End Foreign Student Visa Abuse” was announced on July 16, 2026. The ruling will establish new restrictions and regulations on international students seeking American higher education.
Impact on RIT
In fall 2025, there were 1529 students from 112 countries. Last year, David Munson, the president of RIT at the time, spoke to WXXI about a projected enrollment decline of more than 200 international students in the incoming fall 2025 class.
“Next year we might see that drop by another 200,” Munson said. “And so if we’re going to have a smaller student body, we need to be proactive in planning a slightly smaller faculty and staff.”
Under the administration’s rule, students with F-1 visas and exchange visitors with J-1 visas will be admitted for the length of their program, which cannot exceed four years. Students who require additional time to complete their program must apply for an Extension of Stay (EOS) through U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The ruling explains that this shifts responsibility from university staff to federal authorities and “subjects applicants to biometric vetting, background checks and fraud screenings.”
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said, “For decades, foreign students have been admitted into the U.S. indefinitely, allowing thousands to abuse our immigration system by perpetually enrolling in courses to avoid having to leave the U.S. … This final rule ensures that foreign students remain focused on their primary purpose: completing their studies and returning home.”
Previously, international students on F-1 and J-1 visas were generally admitted under “duration of status,” meaning they could remain in the country for as long as necessary to complete their programs — provided they maintain their statuses. The administration’s new ruling overturns that.
David Wazana, an immigration reporter for the Rochester Beacon, voiced concerns regarding DHS’s lack of clarity surrounding the circumstances necessary to qualify for an EOS.
“We’re not really going to know how strict they’re going to be on accepting those extension of stay applications,” Wazana said. “It sort of muddies the water.”
Additionally, Wazana questioned whether a U.S. education is worth it for international students in light of the upcoming regulations.
“How do we know that the students who might have wanted to study in America or finish their studies… are going to actually go to USCIS and apply for those applications when there are other countries where they can get a perfectly fine education?” Wazana asked.
International students now face a reduced departure grace period, with the time allowed for F-1 students to prepare for departure, transfer schools, or change status following graduation cut in half from 60 to 30 days. The opportunity to switch programs and transfer between universities and colleges will also be restricted.
Impact on Internships and Practical Training
Students on F-1 visas may complete practical training during or after their program ends through either Curricular Practical Training (CPT) or Optional Practical Training (OPT). Students must complete CPT before graduation, while OPT can be completed before or after graduation. The type of work allowed in each program varies as well.
On Aug. 12, just one month after DHS’ ruling, the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) — a program under U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement — released a memo to Designated School Officials (DSOs). It stated that a pattern was noticed of CPT authorizations that “appear to violate regulatory requirements.”
According to SEVP’s memo, international students may only complete internships if practical job training is required for all students enrolled in their curriculum. International students were formerly allowed to complete internships on their student visa regardless of these stipulations. Now, according to a notice released by University of Rochester (URochester), “internships, practical, clinical experiences, or other forms of practical training that are optional, including those associated with elective internship courses, no longer qualify for CPT authorization.”
Failure to comply with the SEVP restrictions could result in an institution losing the ability to enroll international students, lowering their enrolled population and lessening their yearly revenue.
The Golisano Institute for Sustainability has had a historically larger percentage of international students, at times containing up to 50%. According to Amit Batabyal, director of the Golisano Institute for Sustainability and head of the Department of Sustainability, the language used by SEVP strikes “an implicit threat.”
“If you don’t do what [they] want you to do, then you could lose your license to even get any international students,” Batabyal said. “So, when the federal government threatens [higher education] like that, some universities have capitulated.”
In URochester’s notice, it stated that its International Services Office, which serves the university’s international community, is pausing the approval of new CPT applications — excluding individuals who require practical training for the completion of a degree.
DHS also issued a news release on Aug. 24, proposing to establish a $103,265 fee on employers seeking to hire specialized foreign workers on H-1B visas. Exceptions will be made for individuals with positions at “certain nonprofit research organizations, governmental research organizations and institutions of higher education.” These workers are typically sought out for mathematics, technology, engineering and medical sciences fields.
“This fee would serve as a dedicated revenue mechanism to help recover a portion of the federal government’s costs of administering the lawful immigration system, including activities carried out by DHS…” the news release reads.
Should this fee be finalized, it would force many — if not most — international students to leave the country after graduation, preventing them from building their careers in the U.S. Batabyal believes that is exactly the objective of the administration: “To prevent foreigners from being hired.”
This long list of new and proposed rulings follows a consistent and hard-fought “America First” campaign endorsed by the Trump Administration. American nationalist and protectionist values are emphasized as higher priorities, often to the detriment of national diversity and international connections.
“Someone who comes in with an outside perspective on America and comes into our country and can look around and maybe see the contradictions that are inherent in this country in a way that’s different from an American, from the way an American would — there’s something threatening about that. And I think the Trump administration sees that. And then I think it’s pretty easy for them to wrap it up in their attacks on higher education — their attacks on foreigners and immigrants.”
