Global Universities Lure Students with Free Tuition and Scholarships Amid Trump’s War

Donald Trump. The U.S. President is waging a war against some of America’s top institutions. This situation appears to be exploited by numerous Higher Educational Institutions worldwide, which are attempting to attract the ‘refugees’ by offering various incentives. Osaka University, one of Japan’s top-ranked academic institutions, offers tuition waivers, research scholarships, and assistance for arranging travel for students and researchers seeking enrollment in American institutions. Universities like Kyoto and Tokyo are also considering similar initiatives, while Hong Kong has advised universities to attract top talent from the U.S. Xi’an Jiaotong University in China is targeting Harvard students, promising ‘optimized’ admissions and ‘broad’ support. Trump’s administration has implemented massive cuts in academic research funding, tightened visa issuance processes for international students—especially those from China—and plans to increase taxes on elite institutions. Trump claims that top American universities are breeding grounds for anti-American movements. In a dramatic escalation last week, his government banned a move at Harvard, later blocked by a federal court. Masaru Ishii, dean of the undergraduate medical department at Osaka University, described Trump’s impact on American universities as a ‘blow to all humanity.’ Japan aims to increase foreign student numbers to 400,000 in the next decade from around 337,000 currently. Jessica Turner, senior consultant at QS Quacquarelli Symonds, said global top universities are courting students uncertain about studying in the U.S. Germany, France, and Ireland are proving particularly attractive alternatives in Europe, while New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea, Japan, and mainland China are preferred in the Asia-Pacific region. Measures against universities have targeted Chinese students more, with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo pledging aggressive review of their visas. More than 275,000 Chinese students are enrolled in hundreds of American educational institutions, providing significant revenue and talent for U.S. tech companies. Foreign students—54% from India and China—contributed over $50 billion to the U.S. economy in 2023, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. Trump’s war against universities comes at a critical time for international student application processing, with many preparing to travel to the U.S. in August to secure accommodation before the academic year begins.