The Spooks of Study Abroad in a Trump Era

Photo via Getty Images/Klaus Vedfel

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The month of October has crept up on us once again, bringing with it the cool temperatures and fall foliage that signifies the beginning of what many refer to as spooky season. Autumn is host to all that is spine-chilling, from horror movies to ghosts and perhaps the most frightening of all: study abroad decisions.

When entering into this harrowing time of travel and academic decisions, one of the most terrifying fates that could befall university students is the falling through of a dream semester abroad or untransferable credits. Any student who is willing and/or able to have the opportunity to learn in a foreign country might wake up in a cold sweat from the nightmare of their plans falling through.

However, these fears pale in comparison to the onslaught of new dilemmas introduced as a result of the current government administration.

Because the opportunity to spend a term abroad is so popular, demand for study abroad programs is an annual concern at universities. Despite the stress that studying abroad elicits, the benefits for travelers’ personal and academic growth have cemented it as a standard in many American schools. 

Since experiencing a dip in international studies during the COVID-19 pandemic, the percentage of American collegiate students going abroad has been steadily increasing. While that statistic is no great surprise, another trend among the study abroad data has emerged since the last presidential election. Studies show that since President Donald Trump’s inauguration, there has been a further increase in American students’ interest in studying abroad and a corresponding decline in the number of international students enrolling in American universities.

A similar effect was recorded during the first Trump administration, but not to this magnitude. In addition to selecting classes, matching credits, addressing language differences, and considering cultural interests, are politics adding another hurdle and box to be checked off when students deliberate about studying abroad?

In the past, the role that politics has played in dissuading students from studying abroad has been related to the degree of safety they felt and the difficulties associated with culture shock. While these concerns are still present today, they exist simultaneously with limitations for students to even go overseas

Over the summer, the State Department proposed major cuts to funding these programs, reducing their financial support by $100 million. This would effectively eliminate 22 cultural exchange programs. This defunding puts the fate of international studies in jeopardy for students who cannot afford the higher prices that the experience will demand of them

By stripping students of these programs and resources, the government is depriving them of the opportunity to gain independence, explore new cultures, and develop a more worldly perspective. The notion of the current administration, with preexisting authoritarian and nationalist allegations, effectively putting limits on students’ abilities to study out of the country, should raise more than a few eyebrows and make us wonder ¿qué pasa? (That’s “what’s happening?” for any of my non-Spanish-speaking readers.). 

The existence of cultural clubs on campuses nationwide, in tandem with federal action to restrict students’ exposure to such cultures, is almost as ironic as having an astronomy club in a city with extreme light pollution. Considering these funding cuts along with the drama of last school year’s revocation of foreign student visas, a noticeable pattern of decreased diversity in academia becomes apparent. 

The advantages of studying abroad to those with the privilege of going have been repeatedly demonstrated, and it should be in our country’s best interest to promote and expand the accessibility of these programs. America has only further amplified the sentiment of wanting to block out the rest of the world and keep those already here grounded. 

Individuals and nations develop through increased exposure to different ways of life, but that is not what the current administration would lead you to believe. Trump has already been on a rampage, cutting higher education programs and funding, and this recent news has situated him as a president who not only doesn’t prioritize education, but also scoffs at students’ experiences with diverse people and cultures.

Autumn is full of enough surprises and terrors; the last jumpscare students need is an inflation of study abroad prices and government restrictions.

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This article was edited by Mariella Richards and Whitney Woodrow.