As the pendulum swings: impact of the US elections on intled

Environmental/Natural Resource Economics has now been designated as a field of study that can receive the STEM OPT extension, according to an update published on the Federal Register this week.

The Optional Practical Training (OPT) scheme allows graduates of all university degrees in the USA to take paid work in a job related to their field of study for 12 months.

Students graduating from programs on the STEM OPT list can then qualify for an additional 24 months.

The Department of Homeland Security described Environmental/Natural Resource Economics as, “A program that focuses on the application of economic concepts and methods to the analysis of issues such as air and water pollution, land use planning, waste disposal, invasive species and pest control, conservation policies, and related environmental problems.”

The STEM extension for OPT was first introduced in 2016 and has been credited for a large increase in the uptake of the scheme by international students, who remain registered with their institution during OPT.

In the 2022/23 academic year, 198,793 international students were enrolled on OPT, according to the most recent Open Doors report by the Institute of International Education (IIE), a 7.6 per cent increase over the previous year and more than double the 94,919 enrolled a decade earlier.

At the beginning of 2022, the Department of Homeland Security announced a large expansion of the STEM OPT list with International education is and needs to be bipartisan in nature. While most practitioners in the field, as well as higher education administration, faculty and students, tend to be on the “liberal” side, it is important that we try to find some common ground to expand the field to allow more students from all income and social groups to participate in international education programs.

Democrats and Republicans have significantly different policy stances across education in numerous areas, including international engagement. Perhaps, right now, both stances are more divergent than ever before.

Republican position

Republicans are planning changes if they prevail in November.

Although former President Trump has disavowed Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation document calls for the education department to be dismantled and urges an evaluation of national security-vulnerable visa programs. The programs include F-1 student and J-Visa programs.

Immigration is, of course, a major issue for both parties. In Trump’s first term, his executive order threatened to end cultural exchange programs with a work component (J-Visa), but this was defeated by the courts. No changes are proposed for outbound study abroad under Republicans, but don’t expect an increase in program funding.

There have been strains within the Republican party specific to how engaged the United States should be on the international stage. That said, the current Republican presidential ticket reflects an isolationist stance.

For example, Trump has proposed a new 10% universal tariff on all imports and a 60% tariff on all imports from China. It is likely that a more restrictive visa policy will be implemented, adversely impacting the number of international students allowed into the US.

A Trump administration would most likely once again eliminate the granting of visas to the Muslim population. Enabling Chinese students to obtain visas is another question mark.

However, Republicans do understand the economic imperative that international students contribute USD$40.1 billion to the US. International students will continue to view America as “the land of opportunity” and will want to study here on undergraduate and graduate programs.

The Republican’s America First platform will likely be more inward looking, focused on domestic issues and less interested in international ones. This platform will be evident in federal appropriations levels for international programs. More broadly, efforts by Republicans to tackle the deficit could quite possibly result in an across-the-board cut to all non-defense accounts, which would impact exchange programs.

Democratic position

If the Democrats continue to occupy the White House following the 2024 election, we will see much of the status quo. If Kamala Harris prevails, she will aim to maintain or increase the current budget of USD$741m for the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA), however with the US debt increasing, this will be difficult.

Democrats have not always been friendly to increases in cultural exchange as Senators and Congressman on the left have often been opposed. Plus, litigators on the left see big paydays ahead, by challenging the labor-related regulations in the courts.

The most significant impact will likely be to the au pair program, where a State Department pending regulation could have a very negative impact. The regulation could fundamentally change the au pair cultural exchange program into a labour program. All cultural exchange programs with a work component could be at risk.

Talking points vs reality: a mixed bag

A disturbing talking point to note is that Republicans often claim that higher education is somehow “elite” even though most of their leaders graduated from Yale, Harvard, and other high-profile institutions.

Another talking point (for Republicans and many Democrats alike) is that a college degree is only important to get job training. While it’s true that a degree leads to higher paying job, what is more critical is the intrinsic value of learning that attending college brings.

This loss is evident by the diminishment of language learning and the liberal arts in general in institutions of higher learning. Higher education has a worth beyond a future paycheck, it is the foundation for critical thinking.

However, there is a difference between talking points to get elected and what is done after inauguration. We shall see.

In the end, we must conclude that government itself won’t exclusively expand international exchanges. For example, less than 3,000 students receive Gilman grants from the US government to study abroad each year – that’s only 1% of the students who study abroad.

I don’t see that number increasing in the near future. The Simon Bill, created to increase study abroad, has been languishing in Congress for over a decade.

Response from our field

In summary, those interested in supporting international education will need to listen to and carefully respond to Republican and Democratic proposals and advocate for those they agree with to find our champions for international education.

Presidents will change and the power in Congress will shift, but we must continue to adapt to the changing landscape.

Because when all is said and done – the cause for peace between nations through cultural exchange and international education is the true goal. It is the only constant as the pendulum continues to swing.h the addition of 22 academic fields and added a further eight study fields at the beginning of last year.

The Department of Homeland Security has also launched an annual call for submissions of additional ‘Classification of Instructional Programs’ (CIP) codes for consideration for the STEM OPT list, with a deadline of August 1st.

DHS said that it received a total of 133 nominations from the 2023 Federal Register notice, covering 68 unique fields of study. Nominations can be resubmitted with additional supporting views and evidence,