Rutgers New Brunswick and Temple are seeing a rise in international students despite Trump immigration policies

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Despite Trump administration policies that have contributed to a nationwide decline in international student enrollment in American colleges and universities, Temple University and Rutgers University-New Brunswick have bucked the trend.

WHYY News analyzed enrollment data provided by several public colleges and universities in the region, in addition to figures published on their websites.

Chinese enrollment drives increase at Rutgers New Brunswick

Rutgers’ New Brunswick campus saw its international enrollment increase by 8.5% between 2024 and 2025. Overall, its student population from abroad has risen by 15.3% since 2022.

A combination of factors boosted the international student population at the New Brunswick campus, according to Rutgers spokesperson Megan Florance.

“Stronger enrollment from China, increased application volume following Rutgers’ adoption of the Common Application, Rutgers’ improved visibility after its rise in the U.S. News & World Report rankings, and coordinated institutional recruitment and retention efforts,” she said. The New Brunswick campus is ranked No. 16 in the magazine’s list of top public schools.

Rutgers’ Camden and Newark campuses are also on the list at Nos. 46 and 36, respectively. Both saw international enrollment rise over the last four years, with Camden up 52.9% and Newark up 17.9%. But both campuses saw slight declines from 2024 to 2025: 0.9% at Camden and 1.9% at Newark.

Temple University continues to see stability in international enrollment

Temple University saw a bump in its international student population in 2024, with a 6.9% increase over the previous year. For 2025, it saw a 1.4% decline. The figures reflect the international student population at all of its domestic campuses in North Philadelphia, Center City, Ambler and Harrisburg.

Overall, Temple continues to see a stable international student population

Martyn J. Miller, assistant vice president for global engagement at Temple, counts the “You Are Welcome Here” campaign it launched in 2016 as the beginning of its efforts to reach international students.

“We have built a team at Temple that takes care of the international students and scholars around that theme,” he said. “Everything we do has got to show them that we not only say the words, but we actually believe that they’re truly welcome at Temple.”

Temple has its own visa office as well as people dedicated to the needs of international students. In addition, Temple’s international campuses — in Rome, Tokyo and Kyoto, Japan — have helped the university’s reputation, according to Miller.

“The Temple brand has become much more internationally known,” he said. “When we’re on the road, we collectively talk about one Temple. So, we are symbiotically helping each other.”

Rowan University’s explosive growth extends globally

In the last decade, Rowan University has seen its overall student population grow dramatically, making it the fourth-fastest growing university in the country, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education.

That growth has extended to its international student population, which has seen an equally dramatic 68.4% increase between 2022 and 2025, though it declined in 2025 by 17.3% versus 2024.

Like Rutgers, Joe Cardona, vice chancellor for university communication at Rowan, also credits the university’s U.S. News and World Report ranking — currently No. 92 on the magazine’s list of top public schools — in boosting its profile. He adds that increasing the number of programs available has also helped the school’s visibility.

“The diversity of programs, particularly at the graduate level, has attracted attention nationally and internationally,” Cardona said.

As far as the double-digit decline, Cardona said that is due to recent changes to federal regulations.

“It takes longer for students to navigate the visa process,” he said.

Trump administration policies’ ‘chilling effect’ on international students

A decline in international student enrollment in the United States was expected as President Donald Trump returned to office in 2025, according to Rachel Banks, senior director for public policy and legislative strategy at NAFSA: Association of International Educators.

“We had been expecting things like the bringing back of a travel ban and those kind of policies,” Banks said. “But in a bit of an unexpected twist, we saw in the spring of 2025 the move by the government to revoke visas and to terminate students … records [in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System, SEVIS.]”

Banks said the administration attempted to revoke visas of students who participated in protests connected to the war in Gaza. A federal judge in Boston ruled the efforts unconstitutional.

Despite the legal victory, Banks said the action sent “a chilling effect” around the world for international students who were receiving their acceptance letters that spring. Later, the State Department put a pause on new student visa applications to prepare for more rigorous screening of a student’s online presence.

“That certainly put a dent in for some students in terms of securing the appointment needed to be interviewed and then be able to get their visa on time to be able to arrive on campus in the fall on time,” Banks said.

The combined actions led to a 17% drop in new international student enrollment, according to a survey from the Institute of International Education.

Schools cope with new policies for students

Despite new policies from the Trump administration that have led to longer visa processing times, Banks said schools are ensuring that students can begin their programs online if their visas are not approved before classes start.

“Schools are really working very hard to try and be creative and find ways to be able to continue to be attractive to students and be able to make them see that there is a path and just stick with it and we’ll get you here,” Banks said.

While Rowan does not allow students to enroll until their visa situation is resolved, Temple has made online courses available to international students as they go through the process of obtaining a visa, depending on the major, according to Miller. In addition, students who are able to do so can attend classes at one of their overseas campuses in Rome or Tokyo.

With the global demand for international education expected to stay strong over the next decade, Miller is expecting international students to continue to consider schools in the United States.

“We have our challenges administratively, we have our challenges financially, we have our challenges in many different ways,” Miller said. “We survive every time because international students understand and they still truly believe in their heart of hearts that the U.S. provides the best higher education in the world.”

Editor’s note: This article has been edited to correctly identify Martyn J. Miller.