US wants universities to limit international students to 15%, require entrance exams

The Trump administration is inviting several top universities to sign agreements, saying that if they accept the requests, they will receive many incentives from the federal government.

Students at the University of Pennsylvania, one of the schools proposed by the US government to cap enrollment quotas and many other requirements

PHOTO: UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA

What must American schools respond to?

The US media recently reported on the incident in which the Donald Trump administration sent the "Agreement for Academic Excellence in Higher Education " to nine leading universities, including both private and public ones, asking the schools to meet the set regulations to receive "many positive benefits". The provisions cover everything from recruiting foreign students, diversifying nationality, gender, race... to the ideological values ​​of students and lecturers.

According to Reuters , this information is stated in a 10-point memorandum, which requires universities to limit the number of international undergraduate students to a maximum of 15% and no country to exceed 5%; prohibit consideration of race and gender in recruitment and admission; maintain tuition fees for the next 5 years; require applicants to submit SAT or equivalent entrance exam results to be admitted...

The memorandum also notes that schools “disqualify applicants who express hostility toward the United States, its allies, or its values,” and that international students must demonstrate support for “American and Western values.” Universities that agree to the agreement must also provide all information related to international students enrolled in the program to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Department of State upon request.

The White House said the agreement has been sent to nine schools for comments and proposals to sign, including: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Vanderbilt University, Southern California, Texas at Austin, Arizona, Virginia and three Ivy League schools: Dartmouth, Pennsylvania, Brown. In particular, Mr. Kevin P. Eltife, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the University of Texas, announced that he was "very honored" to be invited and immediately considered the proposals of the federal government.

Notably, this agreement can be expanded to apply to all universities and colleges across the United States in the near future, The New York Times quoted Ms. May Mailman, senior adviser to the White House on special projects, as saying. "We hope all schools will open the way to dialogue with the government," Ms. Mailman said.

In terms of benefits, universities that accept the proposal will have priority access to federal funds such as student loans and research grants; priority visa approval for international scholars; tax incentives... The signed agreement will also be considered as evidence confirming that the schools comply with federal citizenship rights.

The memorandum also states that the US Department of Justice will monitor the schools' compliance with the agreement. Any units that violate the agreement will immediately lose all benefits.

Representatives from American universities advise Vietnamese students at an event held in September in Ho Chi Minh City.

PHOTO: NGOC LONG

Percentage of international students in schools

In the memo, the White House said that for schools with an undergraduate international student population exceeding the 15% cap, new admissions will be required to comply with the 15% limit.

According to Thanh Nien statistics, the 2024-2025 school year recorded 530 international students studying at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, accounting for 11.6% of the total 4,535 students at this level. For other universities, this rate is 28.9% (Texas at Austin), 26.1% (Southern California), 15% (Dartmouth), 14% (Brown), 13% (Pennsylvania), 10.2% (Vanderbilt), 8.4% (Virginia) and 3.3% (Arizona), depending on the school year and level.

Academics in the US are currently divided over this proposal by the Trump administration, according to the country's media. Some say the new proposal restricts academic freedom and increases the ability of the federal government to intervene, while others say it helps reduce financial pressure on students and promote fair admissions.

Previously, the US updated a number of regulations related to the student visa application process, notably requiring applicants to declare their social networks, requiring them to schedule a direct interview with a consular officer if they want to apply for a visa extension if it is not for diplomatic or official purposes...

According to statistics from the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in 2024, a total of 36,176 Vietnamese people studied in the US, ranking 6th in the number of international students and continuing to grow since Covid-19. However, if considering the number of students in kindergarten to grade 12 (K-12) schools, Vietnam ranked second with 4,252 people, just behind China. In the 2023-2024 school year alone, Vietnamese international students contributed more than 1 billion USD to the US economy, according to the US diplomatic agency.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/my-muon-dai-hoc-gioi-han-du-hoc-sinh-o-muc-15-bat-buoc-thi-dau-vao-185251007183724401.htm