University students in silhouette walk across campus prior to the commencement program.
Photo Credit: ZUMA Wire/Will Lester

Class dismissed: The effect of international student exclusion on the US STEM workforce and economic growth

Michael A. Clemens (PIIE), Jeremy Neufeld (Institute for Progress) and Amy M. Nice (Cornell Law School; Institute for Progress)

US policies since 2025 have reduced international student enrollment in US universities and made it harder for foreign graduates to work in the US. This shift, if sustained, would slow US economic growth because these students are a key source of workforce talent in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

Read the Policy Brief and blog post.

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