India must step up to woo foreign students

Once a favoured destination, the US is fast becoming an uncertain choice for higher education, with a wave of visa cancellations affecting international students and scholars. Over 80 universities have reported revoked visas, according to a tracker by Inside Higher Ed, impacting students and faculty from coast to coast. Many of those targeted had participated in pro-Palestinian activities. Others were flagged for minor legal infractions, including traffic violations.

International students on visas enjoy first amendment protections, and historically, deportation over political expression has been rare. But the temporary nature of their stay leaves them vulnerable. All infractions-however minor-are now resulting in the termination of SEVIS (Student and Exchange Visitor Information System) records. Even being found not guilty in court offers no protection. The Trump administration has revived the option of self-deportation-failing which, it proposes, under a rarely used 1996 law, to impose fines of nearly $1,000 a day. These measures are creating anxiety and uncertainty across campuses, affecting both morale and long-term academic planning.

The US' loss may prove a gain for other countries. Nations with strong STEM+(Arts) programmes-like Britain, Germany, Australia and Singapore-stand to benefit. Non-English-speaking destinations in Europe, which have been courting international students, also become more viable and appealing. India, too, has an opportunity. Its colleges and universities must strengthen their offerings and infrastructure to attract students exploring new options. Twinning arrangements with US institutions could offer hybrid models with a foreign component. Packages tailored to attract displaced researchers and scholars can help boost India's academic ecosystem. What one nation deems expendable, another can transform into a valuable resource.