The University of Arizona, which has more than 650 Chinese international students, is “closely monitoring immigration-related developments” after Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the U.S. will “aggressively” revoke Chinese students’ visas nationwide.
The State Department will work with the Department of Homeland Security to revoke such visas, according to a press statement last week titled “New Visa Policies Put America First, Not China.”
Students on the University of Arizona campus.
The departments will revoke visas for students who have connections to the Chinese Communist Party or are “studying in critical fields,” but didn’t explain what they mean by “critical fields.” “We will also revise visa criteria to enhance scrutiny of all future visa applications from the People’s Republic of China and Hong Kong,” Rubio said in the statement.
UA spokesperson Mitch Zak said, “The U of A is committed to the success and well-being of all international students and scholars, including our Chinese students. International Student Services and International Faculty & Scholar Services closely monitor immigration-related developments and communicate directly to provide timely and accurate information.
“In addition, Counseling & Psych Services (CAPS) provides mental health support and resources tailored to students’ needs. As always, we encourage all our international students and scholars to reach out with any questions. University staff are here to help,” said Zak.
Zak said Counseling & Psych Services has had a site-based counselor embedded within International Student Services for the last three years and has always provided “student-centered support that considers each person’s unique needs and circumstances.”
UA’s cultural and resource center for Asian and Pacific American students, Asian Pacific American Student Affairs, could not be reached for comment.
In the 2024-2025 academic year, the UA had 656 Chinese students, of which 397 were graduate students and 259 were undergraduates, Zak said.
In total in 2024, the UA had 3,639 international students, including 1,918 graduate students and 1,721 undergraduate students.
The university consistently enrolls several thousand international students each year. International students make up 6.4% of the total student population at the UA, according to the University Analytics and Institutional Research Interactive Fact Book.
Earlier this week, the State Department paused student visa interviews, and said it was weighing the requirement of vetting the social media of foreign students applying for U.S. student visas.
Along with the announcement about Chinese students, these are the two newest developments in the Trump administration’s crackdown on international students, which has also included: terminating international students’ Student Exchange and Visitor Information System records and revoking their visas; targeting pro-Palestinian international students who took part in protests and encampments; arresting, detaining or deporting international students who had their visas revoked; and blocking Harvard University from enrolling international students.
UA has advised international students, faculty and scholars to carry their passports, I-94s and proof of statuses with them at all times. They are also advised to allow immigration officials to inspect their mobile devices and social media posts, UA’s International Student Services and International Faculty and Scholars Services have said.
According to UA Chief Financial Officer John Arnold’s report on finances at April’s Faculty Senate meeting, 27% or $816.1 million of the university’s $2.99 billion annual FY25 budget is made up of net tuition and fees, the second-largest source of revenue.
The net tuition revenue for on-campus international students at the UA is approximately $68 million, Arnold has said.
Nationwide, international students contributed $43.8 billion to the U.S. economy during the 2023-2024 academic year and supported $378,000 jobs, data last year from NAFSA: Association of International Educators showed.
