Several higher-education organisations and unions sued the Trump administration this month over the policy that limits international students’ “duration of status” to four years, a rule due to take effect in mid-September 2026. Two University of Maryland campuses have since filed sworn declarations as part of that lawsuit, giving the first concrete numbers on the policy’s expected impact.
The University of Maryland, College Park, said it could see as much as a 30% decline in newly admitted graduate students this fall, on top of a 10% graduate-enrollment decline it already recorded last fall. Susan-Ellis Dougherty, the university’s director of international student and scholar services, called the expected loss “very unlikely to be recoverable by the university in future years, even if conditions change.” The University of Maryland, Baltimore, said 32 students admitted for this fall have already withdrawn and 14 have deferred, following a 38% international-enrollment decline last year, according to a declaration from Amy Ramirez, the university’s executive director of international services.
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin, who issued the visa cap in July, has said the previous “duration of status” system “compromised national security and created an environment ripe for immigration fraud.” Neither university’s court filing disputes the fraud rationale directly; both instead cite the financial stakes, noting that international students contributed $240.4 million (UMD) and nearly $14 million (UMB) to their respective institutions in the 2024-25 academic year. The lawsuit’s outcome could still affect whether the cap takes effect as planned in mid-September.
References
The Baltimore Banner – Trump visa policy could cut UMD’s new graduate enrollment by 30%
