The Brain Drain Begins As Trump Scares Away Foreign Students

Whatever happens during the Trump administration, and it will be horrendous, the damage done to America’s reputation abroad already is catastrophic and long-lasting. Already, foreign students are re-thinking any decision to come to the United States for education. Today, the NY Times has an article that quotes students from around the world unsure of whether they really want to come to the US for their education. Said one student, “It’s the main topic of conversation among my friends. They don’t want to apply to the U.S. under Trump.” Most of the foreign college students in the US come from India or China and they provide a significant tuition boost for some colleges. Many of the most successful foreign students have decided to stay in the US and build their careers here, providing a real benefit to our economy. In addition, other immigrants have brought their sons and daughters to this country to have them educated and many of those, especially Russian emigres, have become the engine of our new economy. Sergey Brin and Elon Musk are examples of foreign nationals who were educated here in the US. As Thomas Friedman pointed on Maher after the election, the next great inventor will not come to this country and we will see the impact of that a decade or two down the road. According to the Times’ article, Canadian universities have seen a surge in applications in just the brief time since the election. Many Trump supporters will probably look at this as a feature of the Trump administration. But, in the end, it will reduce the already weak dynamism of our economy.

The UK is already experiencing this effect after its decision to exit the European Union. One university in Wales saw at least 100 applicants withdraw from the process immediately after the Brexit vote. It is expected that other universities are seeing similar reactions. But, for Britain, it is even worse than just the withdrawal of foreign students. Many joint UK-EU research projects are forcing the British academics to withdraw from those studies because of Brexit. And many EU students in Britain are planning to return to the EU after their studies are completed.

For both the UK and the US, the brain drain will be real and it will have a lasting impact. For the US, the unwillingness of foreigners to come to this country for education will not end when Trump leaves office. The world’s view of America has changed forever and will taint the next generation of young people around the world for years to come.