More Temple student visas have been revoked as the university says it’s feeling the effects of federal funding cuts
“News of these revocations is unsettling not just for the impacted individuals but for our entire community,” University President John Fry said.

Temple Campus (Courtesy of Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice)
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Multiple current and former Temple University students have had their visas revoked by the Trump administration, and the institution said it’s dealing with a loss of $3 million in grants.
More international student visas revoked
In an announcement Monday, President John Fry said several current and former Temple students have had their visas revoked. Temple’s Office of Global Engagement said it’s in regular contact with those affected and is currently working with their attorneys to figure out what course of action should be taken.
“I know that the news of these revocations is unsettling not just for the impacted individuals but for our entire community,” Fry said. “The Office of Global Engagement is closely monitoring the situation. We deeply value all international members of our community, and we are committed to doing all we lawfully can to assist in circumstances like this.”
Fry said there are no confirmed reports of federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement or Customs and Border Protection officers on campus. The exact number of students affected wasn’t shared and Temple “will not provide additional details on individual situations” out of privacy concerns.
Earlier this month, a Temple student’s visa was revoked and the student self-deported. The university did not release details about the student or why the visa was revoked.
In addition to Temple, at least three international students at the University of Pennsylvania have had their visas revoked by the federal government. Penn said ICE agents were not present on campus in connection to the cases, and the terminations were “related to immigration status violations.”
Last month, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said more than 300 student visas had been revoked as the Trump administration ramped up penalties against students who engaged in protests against the war in Gaza. Multiple international students across the country have been detained for their participation in pro-Palestine demonstrations.
In January, seven people were detained during an ICE operation conducted at a car wash in North Philadelphia, the first of its kind reported in the city since the start of President Donald Trump’s second term.
Temple loses $3 million in research funding, more federal cuts could impact university
Fry also announced approximately $3 million in research funding has been lost as part of cuts being felt at universities nationwide, with federal cuts to the Department of Health and Human Services being cited as the biggest impact.
This year, Temple has received 14 stop-work orders or termination notices for federal grants. Most of the stops have come from the Department of Health and Human Services. HHS is required to cut spending on contracts by 35%, not long after the department began reducing nearly 25% of its staff, according to NPR.
Earlier this week, the Department of Energy also announced measures to cut $405 million “aimed at halting inefficient spending by colleges and universities,” limiting research funding to 15% to “help improve efficiency, reduce costs and ensure proper stewardship of American taxpayer dollars.”
“This unilateral reduction, if it remains in place, will also adversely impact the university’s research enterprise,” Fry said. “Temple is Philadelphia’s public research university, and the consequences of canceling life-changing research like this are dire. We will continue to advocate aggressively with federal and state officials on behalf of our research community and we are committed to looking for ways to preserve impacted positions should funding be eliminated.”
The Association of American Universities, American Council on Education and the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities have filed a joint lawsuit aiming to halt the DOE funding cuts. A statement released Monday said the cuts “would have an immediate and dire impact on critical energy, physical sciences and engineering research nationwide.”
Last week, Temple issued a statement outlining requirements for departments to identify reductions in spending as the university navigates unexpected federal cuts and tariffs specifically:
- Limiting discretionary purchases
- Reducing vendor costs
- Any transaction that exceeds $10,000 requires approval from Purchasing Services
- Evaluation of nonessential academic travel
- Assessing overall spending patterns to find savings.
Temple began its fiscal year with “a projected $85 million budget deficit” and has halted any capital project “unless it is essential to the ongoing operations.” In addition, a hiring review process for all staff positions has been reinstated.

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