MARISSA WILLKE

Johnson Hall, located near the center of the University of Oregon campus in Eugene, Ore., is the university’s main administration building. (Marissa Willke/Emerald)

In August 2024, the University of Oregon partnered with United Kingdom-based recruiting agency Kaplan International Pathways in the hopes of rebuilding its international student enrollment after a steady decline since 2016. 

Following the Trump administration’s temporary ban on Harvard University’s ability to enroll international students on May 22 and the May 28 announcement by Secretary of State Marco Rubio about the “aggressive” revocation of visas from Chinese international students studying in “critical fields,” the mood around international enrollment has shifted.

In an email statement to The Daily Emerald, Erin Hays, associate vice president for Student Services and Enrollment Management and director of admissions, said that there have been conversations with prospective students regarding “the current landscape for international students” and how it “is sowing disruption, fear and confusion” for prospective students and their families.

“In our work with international students outside of Kaplan, which is the majority of our international students, we are receiving messages of concern, fear, distress, confusion (and) all the things you can imagine if you were in their situation,” Hays said.

In spring 2025, 818 international students were enrolled at UO, according to UO Spokesperson Eric Howald. Of those 818 students, 174 are from China, studying a variety of subjects or working in post-graduation optional practical training. 

While the exact definition of a “critical field” is unknown, it almost certainly includes the physical sciences.

Astronomy Lecturer and Outreach Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Physics Department Scott Fisher said that the presence of international students is a “pillar within science” and the potential loss of these students would be a blow to the university and the department.

“I would just lament the loss of any student; any student that loves physics, they’re my people. I’ve worked all my time here to develop young scientists, and so it’s a bummer in that sense,” Fisher said. “I am a believer that diverse histories and folk who come from different backgrounds bring scientific power. We’ve seen it.”

International students make up roughly 3.4% of the UO student body, with over 90 countries represented on campus. China, India and Canada have the highest number of enrolled students.

According to Fisher, the number of international students in the physics department is roughly proportional to the rest of the university, if not a little bit more.

“The loss of the students and the loss of anyone who wants to study science is a real kick in the pants, and the (loss of) international students is an added bummer because they often bring diverse viewpoints … (and) it behooves all of us to be exposed to those different ideas,” Fisher said.

Japanese international student Ayana Nagase said that the international community at UO brings diverse perspectives to campus and should UO not be able to enroll international students, everyone will feel the effects.

“International students have a purpose (in) what they learn in the university. For example, in my case, I’d like to learn about American history in UO from another perspective. However, if UO was unable to enroll international students, I cannot take a class,” Nagase said.

Besides the potential losses to the UO community, the institution would also take a financial hit. 

“International students pay the same rate as non-residents, $44,302 in the 2024-25 academic year. If we were to lose the ability to enroll the same 818 students that enrolled this year, as Harvard was threatened with, that total (is) more than $36 million. The exact number would depend on whether they are paying locked-in tuition from a prior year or the 2025-2026 rate,” Howald said.

The threat of tuition loss comes as the university announces “difficult” financial outlooks following funding and budget cuts, low out-of-state and international enrollment and a tighter-than-expected state budget. 

UO is in constant communication with international students and international partners and is “working to advise as best as we can,” Hays said. 

“One benefit we have as a quarter school is our late start to fall term provides more time to work out the visa policy issues. We are considering a variety of options should students not be able to enroll in the fall, such as deferring to winter or spring term or starting some coursework online,” Hays said. 

Hays said she also expects international students to look at other countries for schooling instead of the United States.

“In the first iteration of this administration in 2017, international student enrollments trended up in Canada, Australia, the UK and other countries. We are seeing those trends spike again now,” Hays said.