Public radio’s longest-running daily global news program.AboutContactDonateMeet the TeamPrivacyTerms of use©2026 The World from PRXPRX is a 501(c)(3) organization recognized by the IRS: #263347402.International student restrictions could cost the US billionsThe US economy could lose $7 billion in spending and 60,000 jobs as a result of the bans and restrictions imposed by the White House on international students. That is according to NAFSA, the Association of International Educators. Host Marco Werman speaks with NAFSA’s CEO, Fanta Aw, about the potential impact of visa restrictions.7:45Fanta Aw, CEO of NAFSA, the Association of International Educators.Courtesy of Fanta AwThe US economy could lose $7 billion and 60,000 jobs as a result of visa bans, disruptions and other restrictions imposed on international students and scholars by the Trump administration, according to a new report from NAFSA.“We arrive at these numbers because we have access to the Student Exchange Visitor Information System, as well as data on visa issuance from the Department of State’s Counselor Affairs,” Fanta Aw, the CEO of NAFSA, the Association of International Educators, told The World. “And so we know the visa issuance rates. We mine the data and, based on the data, work to come up with this analysis.”Host Marco Werman spoke to Aw, who broke down the economic and cultural values of international students to the US and beyond.Fanta Aw: Absolutely, and thank you for that question. Because from where we stand, the loss in intellectual capital to this country, that has benefited for decades [from] what I would call the “brain trust” from the rest of the world, cannot be underestimated. And what we know is that international students, because of all of these barriers that have been really erected, and I would say self-inflicted by our government, are looking to other destinations, primarily looking to places like Germany, France, Spain, The Netherlands, the UK, Japan and other places, because they’re unable to be able to make it to the United States.Currently, we know that international students contribute about $44 billion to the US economy, which translates to over 370,000 jobs in the US economy. So, imagine a $7 billion loss and 60,000 jobs. This is not only a [national issue], but also a [state-level] issue; it is a concern for communities where these students often reside, study and work, particularly for small businesses that often benefit from the presence of international students. Those who rent housing to international students, as well as those who purchase goods from them, will have a ripple effect on local communities around the nation.A map showcasing the projected 2025-26 economic impact of international student enrollment in the US by state. Click on a state for expanded data.Data source: NAFSA, Fall 2025 International Student Enrollment Outlook and Economic Impact report.Data visualization by MariCarmen Mosso.What those scenarios teach us is that, yes, our institutions are incredibly resilient, and that is something we should not underestimate. Similarly, we should have faith in the resilience of our international students. However, with that said, the world has changed. There’s increased competition for these students and, as a result, what will be our loss will be the gain for the rest of the world. But the challenge is that it takes decades to build the infrastructure for research, for cutting-edge work, etc. And so, those countries will not be able to simply make up for the loss in the brain trust that we’re talking about here.I don’t think so, and let me explain why: Because one of the arguments that’s often made, and I think it’s a flawed argument, is that international students have displaced American students. There is absolutely no evidence for that.One is, as I said, that a good number of the majority of international students are coming at the graduate level. The students who are coming in, and the work they’re doing in universities with research and so forth in the STEM field, even if it were to quadruple the number of American students in the STEM field, it would not make up for the gap in skills that are needed for this country and for the economy.International students who are coming also subsidize the education of American students, as they do not benefit from any federal aid. In fact, not only are they not taking the spaces of American students, they’re subsidizing American students.Parts of this interview have been edited for length and clarity.MariCarmen Mosso provided data visualization for this story. MariCarmen is a graduate student at Northeastern University studying Media Innovation and Data Communications. She graduates in December.