President Donald Trump’s attacks on US universities have opened up a rare opportunity for European business schools to attract talent once bound for elite American campuses.
The continent is drawing students and faculty from around the world who are unsettled by political turbulence in the US and the Trump administration’s policies, deans say. Washington has cut research funding and tightened student and work visa rules, while proposing limits on diversity programmes and international enrolments.
A “Trump bump” has been felt from Barcelona to Berlin. Reasons vary but overall applications to European business schools excluding the UK rose 11 per cent this year, while those to US programmes slipped by 1 per cent, according to the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC). UK schools have seen a sharp slowdown in international enrolments after the British government introduced visa changes.
European business school deans say that among the increased numbers they are attracting more students deterred from study in the US, including from other European countries, America and China. High tuition fees and doubts around post-graduation work options have also weakened the appeal of the US.
The GMAC survey, conducted between June and August 2025, came before uncertainty around recent visa policy changes, which analysts say could weigh more heavily on US demand in the months ahead. The proposed $100,000 H-1B work visa fee initially caused alarm, but the US government later confirmed that it will not apply to international students already in the country switching from F-1 study visas.
