DALLAS — When University of North Texas student Pranup Adhikari first came to the United States from Nepal for college in 2021, he thought he had time to discover his life goals. Five years later, he's running out of choices — and running out of time.
A new rule that limits the time international students can spend in the U.S., among other restrictions, will go into effect Sept. 15.
The rule rippled through an already declining international student population as it places additional hurdles for students to cross to complete their studies or seek employment in the U.S.
The Trump administration also introduced social media screening for visa applicants while it became harder to get visa appointments and the denial rate has gone up. It is also reportedly considering a $100,000 fee for foreign students seeking work authorization post-graduation.
The new rule means that schools and their communities are at risk of losing the millions of dollars international students bring — on top of their academic and professional contributions as the changes make it harder for them to stay after graduation.
A sense of disillusionment with studying in the U.S. is growing, several international students said. The loss of long-term stability brings constant pressure, Adhikari said.
"We've always lived in a state of high tension," Jasmine Jin, who is from China and went to college in Los Angeles, said in Chinese. She moved to Dallas in June for a marketing analytics job. When the proposed rule came out, she immediately researched to see if it would affect her work authorization while having to comfort anxious family members.
Some students say they feel increasingly unwelcome and alienated from their peers. Jin said her foreign identity made her voice grow quieter. For Southern Methodist University rising senior Muxin Ge, it is like "living unfreely in such a free country," he said in Chinese.
The pressure they feel can turn into resignation. "If one day, all international students won't be able to work here anymore," Jin said, "I'll be at peace with it."
Changes to duration of status for international students
The new rule caps students' stay at four years or the end of their program, whichever comes first.
Before, under the "duration of status" policy, students could generally stay as long as they needed to finish their degrees and work under employment authorization provided by their student visa.
"For decades, foreign students have been admitted into the U.S. indefinitely, allowing thousands to abuse our immigration system by perpetually enrolling in courses to avoid having to leave the U.S.," said Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin in a news release. "This final rule ensures that foreign students remain focused on their primary purpose: completing their studies and returning home."
SMU, UNT, the University of Texas at Dallas and the University of Texas at Arlington spokespeople all said their schools are working to keep their communities informed and supported.
"International students are an important part of the SMU community and contribute significantly to the university's academic excellence and global engagement," said Claudia Sotomayor Hart, assistant vice provost for international affairs, executive director of enrollment services and director of the international office. "Their presence helps make SMU a truly global university."
To extend their stay, students will need to file a request to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, said Kelli Duehning, a law partner at Berry Appleman & Leiden. That will be the case for many students, she said, such as those pursuing PhD and dual degree programs, those hoping to take a gap year or an extra semester, and those staying for work or a master's.
The rule also shortens from 60 to 30 days the time students have after graduation to depart, transfer their immigration record to another school or start work authorization. It bans lateral degrees — such as pursuing a second master's — and changing majors, schools or academic programs in undergraduate students' first year of study.
Proposed changes to Optional Practical Training, which provides one to three years of work authorization to students after graduation, are scheduled to publish in January 2027.
"Ending duration of status is really a solution in seek of a problem," said Jill Allen Murray, deputy executive director of public policy at NAFSA: Association of International Educators, a nonprofit focused on international education and exchange. It will drive away international student and scholar talent, she said, because it makes studying in the U.S. less predictable.
"International students bring a wealth of ideas and perspectives as well as important contributions to the STEM fields," Murray said.
Decline in international student enrollment
Fewer international students are coming to the U.S., data shows. Data from the Institute of International Education shows growth of international students flattening, with the number of new graduate and non-degree students in decline.
In North Texas, the number of international students at UTD fell 40% between fall 2023 and fall 2025. Graduate international student enrollment also declined sharply. At UTA, total international enrollment decreased 33% between fall 2023 and 2025.
Graduate international enrollment at UNT fell from about 6,200 students in fall 2024 to about 3,400 in fall 2025. SMU saw an 8% drop in graduate international students between fall 2024 and fall 2025.
For the coming academic year, Institute of International Education surveyed 585 higher education institutions about their expectations for international student enrollment. About 63% said they expected a decline and 24% said they expected the decline to be substantial.
The decline impacts university revenue, as a foreign student is more likely to pay tuition and fees without institutional financial support. When they stay afterward for work, they bring economic benefits to the area.
Both UTA and UNT saw budget shortfalls and offered employee buyouts and cut programs this year.
In February, UNT projected a $45 million shortfall, in part due to decreasing international master's students enrollment.
In March, it announced the elimination or consolidation of dozens of academic programs with low enrollment, in an effort to close the shortfall. Shortly after, it approved voluntary buyouts for 40 faculty members, potentially saving the school about $4.7 million.
UTA also offered buyouts to over 200 faculty and staff and cut or consolidated eight academic programs.
Murray said that the higher tuition and fees paid by international students help keep costs lower for domestic students.
International students also contribute to shortstaffed industries in North Texas. Foreign workers fill in gaps in sectors such as technology, healthcare and finance, said Chris Wallace, president and CEO of the North Texas Commission. They supplement, instead of replace, U.S. workers.
"We can secure our economy if our workforce pipeline expands," Wallace said.
NAFSA, the international education nonprofit, partnered with JB International, an international education technology company, estimated that international students contributed $2.5 billion to the Texas economy in the 2024-25 academic year, supporting 21,381 jobs.
International students at UTD brought in $234.6 million, and UNT students brought $212.6 million. The report projected Texas to lose $64.6 million in fall 2025 due to the decline in international student enrollment.
Impact of changes on international students
For the students, the impact is more fees, less time and more uncertainty.
Before the rule, students already had to align the unpredictable timeline of job hunting with the lengthy process of acquiring work authorization, while finding employers willing to take employees on visas, Adhikari said. They could only work jobs and internships matching their majors.
Now that the possibility of pu