Opportunity or Outcast? Navigating Risks and Threats of Life as an International Student at U.S. Universities

Abstract

This case captures the new and persistent stressors faced by international students navigating U.S. institutions of higher education. Currently, measures attacking international student visas and enrollment are being used across the U.S. higher education landscape. Reports of specific attacks on international students by ICE and the revocation of student visas are manifold. These new threats only exacerbate well-documented stressors international students face, including financial stressors, cultural adjustment, and social isolation. The case narrative and accompanying background and teaching activities highlight the complex issues these students face as members of a university community. Students in higher education and educational leadership programs can explore these dynamics through many perspectives to identify the leadership actions of various stakeholders that might ameliorate issues faced by this community.

Keywords

higher education immigration policies international students

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Allen

I. E.

Seaman

(2017). Digital learning compass: Distance education enrollment report 2017. Babson Survey Research Group. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED580868

Alshammari

M. K.

Othman

M. H.

Mydin

Y. O.

Mohammed

B. A.

(2023). The effect of social isolation on the mental health of international students. Information Sciences Letters, 12(4), 1235–1240. https://doi.org/10.18576/isl/120438

Bandura

. (2002). Selective moral disengagement in the exercise of moral agency. Journal of Moral Education, 31(2), 101–119.

Banjong

Olsen . (2016). Issues and trends of international students in the United States. International Journal of Education, 4(1), 1–14.

Bokayev

(2024). The socialization of international students in American society and its education system: A comprehensive literature review. Journal of Social Studies Education Research, 15(3), 289–316.

Castiello-Gutiérrez

(2020). We are more than your paycheck: The dehumanization of International Students in the United States. Journal of International Students, 10(3), Article 3. https://doi.org/10.32674/jis.v10i3.2676

Chernikoff

Borresen

. (2025, May 3). How many international students had their legal status changed? Maps show Trump’s impact. USA Today. https://www.usatoday.com/story/graphics/2025/05/03/how-many-international-students-visas-revoked/83216625007/

Cisneros-Donahue

Krentler

K. A.

Reinig

Sabol

(2012). Assessing the academic benefit of study abroad. Journal of Education and Learning, 1(2), 169–178. https://doi.org/10.5539/jel.v1n2p169

Dimmock

(2019). Connecting research and knowledge on educational leadership in the West and Asia: Adopting a cross-cultural comparative perspective. Comparative Education, 56(2), 257–277. https://doi.org/10.1080/03050068.2019.1703393

10.

Erichsen

E. A.

Bolliger

D. U.

(2011). Towards understanding international graduate student isolation in traditional and online environments. Educational Technology Research and Development, 59, 309–326. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-010-9161-6

11.

Gross

S. J.

(2014). Using turbulence theory to guide actions. In Branson

C. M.

Gross

S. J.

(Eds.), Handbook of ethical educational leadership (pp. 246–262). Routledge.

12.

Hegarty

(2014). Where we are now-the presence and importance of international students to universities in the United States. Journal of International Students, 223(3), 223–235. http://jistudents.org

13.

Heitor

(2015). How university global partnerships may facilitate a new era of international affairs and foster political and economic relations. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 95, 276–293. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2015.01.005

14.

Institute of International Education. (2024). International students: Enrollment trends. https://opendoorsdata.org/data/international-students/enrollment-trends/

15.

Lee

J. J.

(2020, July 8). International students shouldn’t be political pawns. Inside Higher Education. https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2020/07/08/government-regulation-about-international-students-strong-arming-colleges-resume

16.

NAFSA: Association of International Educators. (n.d.). International student economic value tool. https://www.nafsa.org/policy-and-advocacy/policy-resources/nafsa-international-student-economic-value-tool

17.

Nasir

(2018). Effects of cultural adjustment on academic achievement of international students. Journal of Elementary Education, 22(2), 95–103.

18.

Özturgut

Murphy

(2010). Literature vs. practice: Challenges for international students in the U.S. International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, 22(3), 374–385.

19.

Rodríguez

Chavez

C. R.

Klauber

(2019). International graduate student challenges and support. International Research and Review, 8(2), 49–64. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1227500

20.

Shapiro

J. P.

Stefkovich

J. A.

(2016). Ethical leadership and decision making in education: Applying theoretical perspectives to complex dilemmas. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315773339

21.

Tas

(2013). International students: Challenges of adjustment to university life in the U.S. International Journal of Education, 5(3), 1. https://doi.org/10.5296/ije.v5i3.3481

22.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. (2025, April 8). Students and employment. U.S. Department of Homeland Security. https://www.uscis.gov/working-in-the-united-states/students-and-exchange-visitors/students-and-employment

23.

Wang

Noltemeyer

Wang

Zhang

Shaw

(2018). Cross-cultural adaptation of international college students in the United States. Journal of International Students, 8(2), 821–842. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1250383

24.

Yan

Berliner

D. C.

(2013). Chinese international students’ personal and sociocultural stressors in the United States. Journal of College Student Development, 54(1), 62–84. https://doi.org/10.1353/csd.2013.0010