Estimate: Trump’s Policies on International Students a $44M Hit to RI’s Economy
GoLocalProv News Team
Estimate: Trump’s Policies on International Students a $44M Hit to RI’s Economy
The estimates are that as many as 60,000 jobs will be adversely impacted nationally.
International enrollments at U.S. colleges are projected to drop this fall, the first new school year since President Donald Trump began his second term. As much as a 30% to 40% decline in new international students is forecast, according to NAFSA; Association of International Educators and JB International. International enrollment could slide by 15%, the group said. That would cause the loss of $7 billion in revenue.
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Colleges and Universities Are Big Business in Rhode Island
According to NAFSA, Rhode Island is expected to lose more than $44 million to the state’s economy. Foreign students are often full pay. At a school like Brown University, that can mean one student could generate more than $100,000 in tuition, fees, and incidental expenses.
Rhode Island is a state with a significant percentage of college students, and some schools have a high percentage of international students. For the academic year 2023-2024, a total of 76,660 students attended colleges and universities in Rhode Island. And the schools are big employers.
Staff employment at major colleges and universities in Rhode Island for 2025. These estimates include faculty, administration, and support staff:
Brown University: 4,800 employees
University of Rhode Island: 3,300 employees
Rhode Island School of Design (RISD): 900 employees
Providence College: 1,100 employees
Rhode Island College: 1,400 employees
Roger Williams University: 1,200 employees
Salve Regina University: 800 employees
Johnson & Wales University (Providence Campus): 1,000 employees
Bryant University: 800 employees
The forecast is that Rhode Island will lose approximately 800 students.
Rhode Island is projected to lose about 400 jobs due to the decline in international students resulting from the Trump administration's policy changes.
Brown, which is often criticized for its landbanking real estate, its failure to pay taxes, and only pays about a third of the amount that Yale pays to New Haven, is a major driver in the construction industry. Brown has spent in excess of $500 million on construction projects.
GoLocal reported in April that:
- Brown University reports that it has approximately 1,762 international students. This figure includes both undergraduate and graduate students, representing about 17.7% of the total student body. More specifically, 807 of these students are undergraduates.
- In the 2022-2023 academic year, Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) reported it had 1,003 international students, including 733 undergraduates and 270 graduate students. These international students constituted 33% of the student body at the time, according to some reports. More specifically, RISD reported 518 undergraduate international students out of a total of 1,736 undergraduates.
- The University of Rhode Island has approximately 143 international undergrads, according to the University. International students comprise 1% of the total undergraduate student population of 13,481.
- Providence College says it has around 88 international students, representing approximately 2% of its total student population of 4,689. This includes 67 international students in the undergraduate day school and 21 in the graduate program.
- Johnson & Wales University has 230 international students from over 54 countries. The top 10 international student populations are from India, China, South Korea, the Bahamas, Indonesia, Jamaica, Canada, Saudi Arabia, Nepal, Taiwan, and Panama. It is not clear how many of those students attend classes at the Providence campus.
Both Brown and Johnson & Wales have announced financial issues in the past few months. Brown has borrowed $800 million. The Ivy League school has announced it is marketing 20 properties and has implemented a hiring freeze.
Johnson & Wales announced 91 layoffs due to significant financial issues, unrelated to Trump's international student policies.
NAFSA said that one factor is the Trump administration's decrease in visas and visa interviews. But it is also clear that some families are choosing to avoid the chaos of America’s immigration policies altogether.
NAFSA cites:
Visa Interview Suspension: Between May 27 and June 18, 2025, student visa interviews were paused during the peak issuance season for students seeking to enroll in a U.S. institution this fall. As announced on June 18, the resumption of interviews carried a directive that U.S. consulates implement new social media vetting protocols and restore appointment availability to student visa applicants within five days.
Limited Appointment Availability: There are reports of limited or no appointments for international students at consulates in India, China, Nigeria, and Japan. India and China are the top two international student sending countries to the United States; Nigeria is seventh, and Japan is 13th.
Downward Visa Trends: F-1 issuance is down 12 percent from January to April 2025 and down 22 percent in May 2025 compared to May 2024. June 2025 F-1 issuance data has not been published, but a decrease of 80–90 percent is possible based on the factors identified here.
Visa Bans: Restrictions targeting 19 countries as of a June 4, 2025, executive order, with another 36 rumored to be added, threaten $3 billion in annual contributions and more than 25,000 American jobs.
NAFSA states there may be as many as 150,000 fewer international students arriving in the U.S. this fall.
This story was first published 8/17/25 2:30 AM