CMU, Pitt students speak out as Chinese student visas are threatened

Mia Cody fears that the diverse student environment she has grown to love in her two years at Carnegie Mellon University is under threat.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday that the Trump administration will aggressively revoke the visas of some Chinese students studying at colleges and universities throughout the United States — namely those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or those who are “studying in critical fields.”

The announcement came a day after Rubio halted the scheduling of new visa interviews for international students aspiring to enroll in a U.S. higher education institution.

“I just think it’s detrimental,” said Cody, a Fox Chapel native who will be a junior at Carnegie Mellon in the fall.

“International students and, just diversity in general … includes different walks of life, people that have grown up with different incomes and in different countries,” she said. “I think when you take that away — especially from a place like CMU or a place like Harvard, where there’s such forward-thinking for the betterment of the United States — I think it’s just ridiculous.”

Cody remembers meeting international students from India and China while playing tennis during her first week at Carnegie Mellon — strangers who later became close friends.

“It’s not that they’re scared,” Cody said of her international friends. “I think what I’ve gotten from the conversations is that it’s just a very, very unsure time.

“They want to believe in our courts to uphold the law and Constitution, but I think since the (Trump) administration started, they’ve recognized it’s definitely an unsure time.”

International students: Prevalence, economic impact

Of the 1.1 million international students who enrolled in U.S. higher education in 2024, about 50,500 attended schools in Pennsylvania — the sixth-highest international student population nationwide, according to the Institute of International Education.

Pennsylvania falls in the top five receiving states for Chinese international students — the largest international student population statewide and the second largest nationwide. Nearly 277,400 Chinese students attended U.S. colleges and universities in 2023-24.

International students have a significant impact on the U.S. economy. They contributed nearly $44 billion and helped generate more than 378,000 jobs, according to the Association of International Educators — also known as NAFSA, the acronym of its founding name.

Carnegie Mellon, Penn State and University of Pittsburgh play a significant role in the economic impact generated by international students.

The Pennsylvania schools educate some of the largest international student populations statewide, with Carnegie Mellon at the top of the list.

Carnegie Mellon enrolled about 9,600 foreign students in 2023-24. Penn State enrolled nearly 9,100, University of Pennsylvania enrolled nearly 9,000 and Pitt enrolled about 3,800.

NAFSA estimates international students from Carnegie Mellon, Penn State and Pitt went on to generate a combined 10,700 jobs and $931.7 million for the U.S. economy in 2024.

CMU, Pitt students oppose visa revocation

But if Chinese international students are stripped from U.S. schools, Western Pennsylvania higher education stands to lose more than economic development, said recent Pitt graduate Josh Horan.

“Ultimately, I think it’s good to have diversity from wherever we can get it,” said Horan, who graduated earlier this month. “From what I’ve heard and what I’ve seen, studies show that diversity is one of the best things in a workplace, and I imagine the same in a college campus.

“Removing students that add to that and have unique ideas and unique perspectives is a shame.”

Horan believes universities, including Pitt, need to do more to protect their international students.

“If people are coming into the country and have student visas, which they’re seemingly legally coming in and doing,” said Horan, of Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood, “I don’t think we should be able to revoke that on a whim.”

A Chinese international student at Carnegie Mellon said Friday he had plans this summer to visit friends in Europe and considered visiting his home country. But the graduate student has since been forced to rethink his possible travel.

“I just want to get my master’s degree,” said the student, who declined to share his name with TribLive out of fear of discussing the matter publicly. “I don’t want (my visa) to be revoked.”

Universities remain mum

Officials from Pittsburgh-area colleges and universities, including Carnegie Mellon, have expressed hesitancy in publicly commenting on the issue.

“Since these matters are in a constant state of change, we’re still analyzing the most recent developments and can’t speak to them at this time,” the university said in a statement.

Pitt had a similar reaction to a TribLive request for comment.

“We are still digesting this news, and it’s too early to say how this will impact the university,” Pitt said in a statement. “Regardless, we remain committed to staying in frequent contact with our international student population and helping them navigate changes as they occur.”

Fanta Aw, the executive director and CEO of NAFSA, spoke out against the removal of select Chinese students’ visas.

“No policy should single out individuals based solely on their nationality,” Aw wrote in a statement. “Chinese students, scholars and faculty have long partnered with their American counterparts to advance groundbreaking research, fuel innovation and deepen mutual understanding — contributions that strengthen our societies.”

Student: History repeating itself

The U.S. government this spring terminated the visas of several international students at universities nationwide.

Among them was Jayson Ma, a 24-year-old graduate student with one semester remaining in his studies at Carnegie Mellon. Pitt confirmed one graduate student and two who recently graduated also had their status terminated.

A federal lawsuit on the issue was filed in Pittsburgh in April.

House Republicans this month pressed Duke University to cut its ties with a Chinese university, saying the school was allowing Chinese students access to federally funded research.

The following week, the Department of Homeland Security issued a letter barring international students from Harvard. And earlier this year, Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested and tried to deport students who had been involved in campus protests against the Israel-Hamas war.

“It’s like the cliché: We learn from reading our history,” said Cody, overlooking the lawn in front of Carnegie Mellon’s Baker Hall on Friday afternoon.

“That’s what every history teacher tells you in high school: We learn from our mistakes by reading our history. And history is seeming to repeat itself here with such backward thinking.”