For many years, the US has been the most attractive educational destination for international students. However, the visa restrictions recently implemented by the Trump administration have begun to rapidly change this situation. It has been announced that student visas will no longer be granted for the duration of their programs, but for a maximum of four years. Furthermore, visas issued to exchange programs and members of the press will also be time-limited. Furthermore, the newly introduced “visa integrity fee” has increased application costs to as much as $442. These regulations have thrown uncertainty into the future of not only students but also universities. Leading institutions like Harvard have been accused of suspending international student admissions, putting thousands of applications at risk, shaking up the academic landscape in the US (https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/aug/29/trump-immigration-visa-restrictions).
These tightening restrictions have caused significant losses in the US education sector and accelerated the flow of students to Europe. Germany, in particular, stands out with a nearly 20 percent increase in students from India and currently hosts more than 60,000 Indian students. Political stability, affordable costs, and post-graduation work opportunities are making Germany increasingly attractive. While applications to business schools like ESCP and HEC Paris are increasing in France, Germany and other European countries are also seeing significant interest from American students (https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/education/study-abroad/germany-welcomes-more-from-india-while-student-arrivals-to-the-us-plunge-the-new-geography-of-indian-ambition/articleshow/123472306.cms).
The European Union plans to capitalize on this trend. In Brussels, parliamentarians called for the further expansion of programs like Erasmus+ and Horizon Europe for international students disadvantaged by US policies. Thus, Europe could become a stronger alternative for international academic leadership in the long term (https://euobserver.com/eu-and-the-world/ar771dc3dc).
The United States’ decline in its traditional appeal is reshaping not only students’ individual plans but also global academic balances. These developments signal that Europe could assume a central role in international student mobility.
