US university risks losing 2,000 international students amid DHS approval delay

A New Hampshire university could lose up to 2,000 international graduate students if the Department of Homeland Security fails to approve a new doctoral programme by July 1. Lawmakers have urged the Trump administration to expedite the review process.

Washington: A New Hampshire university could lose as many as 2,000 international graduate students unless the Department of Homeland Security quickly approves a pending application tied to a new doctoral programme, prompting lawmakers to press the Trump administration for urgent action.

The issue surfaced during a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee hearing on the Department of Homeland Security’s fiscal year 2027 budget request, where Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire raised concerns about delays affecting New England College and its ability to enrol foreign students in a new Doctorate in Business Administration programme.

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During a Congressional hearing, Shaheen told Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin that the college faces a critical July 1 deadline and warned that failure to secure approval could have serious consequences for the institution and its students.

“As I explained on the phone, there is real urgency about this because, without approval by July 1st, they’re going to potentially lose 2,000 students, graduate students,” Shaheen said.

The senator said the institution prepares students for careers in artificial intelligence, national security, healthcare management and other high-demand sectors.

“This is a university that prepares students for jobs in artificial intelligence, national security, health care management, a lot of other high-demand, high-skill professions,” Shaheen said, adding that the college plays an important role in both the local community and the state’s economy.

Seeking an update on the application, Shaheen asked whether DHS could provide clarity on the status of the school’s request to enrol F-1 international students in the new programme.

Mullin acknowledged the urgency of the matter and said the department had already begun reviewing the case.

“We’ve got the point of contact. We’d asked for the point of contact for the college; I believe we did receive that, and we give it to USCIS,” Mullin said.

The Secretary said the issue had been discussed only days earlier and promised to seek an update from US Citizenship and Immigration Services.

“I don’t think there’s going to be much of one, because we just talked about this Thursday, I believe, and so I think we’re working on it,” he said.

When Shaheen noted that the college had still not heard from the department, Mullin pledged immediate follow-up.

“If they haven’t heard back from them I will — they will hear back from them today — not — well, tomorrow,” he said.

The exchange highlighted the growing importance of international students to American universities, particularly graduate programmes in science, technology, business and healthcare fields that depend heavily on overseas enrolment.

The F-1 visa programme is the primary route through which international students study in the United States. India has emerged as one of the largest sources of foreign students in the country, with Indian enrolment rising sharply in recent years, especially in graduate-level programmes focused on technology, engineering, business and artificial intelligence.