This fall, many U.S. colleges nationwide have seen a drop in new international students, and some 5C students have said they’ve noticed a similar phenomenon in Claremont. Many international students in the class of 2029 have faced increased difficulties, including obtaining visas prior to their arrival, due to recent actions by the Trump administration.
On Tuesday, May 27, the U.S. Department of State put a pause on scheduling new visa interviews for admitted students abroad, which they said was to prepare for increased social media vetting. Visa appointments then resumed on June 18.
Catarina Shi SC ’29, who is from China, said she had to travel six hours by train to Wuhan for an appointment at the U.S. Embassy instead of only one hour to Shanghai, where all interview spots were full. It wasn’t until mid-July that Shi knew she could definitely come to college in the United States this fall.
“We were all kind of unsure,” Shi said. “One of my international friends, she actually delayed her arrival here because she couldn’t get the appointment.” Shi said that the student later secured a visa and arrived at Scripps College.
Hannah Maycock CM ’26, an English international student, worked in Claremont McKenna College’s (CMC) admissions office over the summer and was in contact with international students experiencing similar challenges.
While some students’ visa struggles were ultimately resolved, others were forced to defer their enrollment in hopes of later attending CMC. Therefore, according to Maycock, not all admitted international students who wished to enroll in CMC could make it to the United States this semester.
“I think there’s more of this sense of luck,” Maycock said. “[First-year international students] have definitely made the most of it and are using their voices around campus.”
In email correspondence with TSL, Alex Boekelheide, CMC’s associate vice president for strategic communications and marketing, did not confirm that this year’s international class size had shrunk at the college; he said that the percentage of international students of the student population at large is similar to previous years.
“The number of non-U.S. resident students at CMC continues to hold steady over the past few years at around 14 percent of our student population, and our current experience with this incoming first-year class is likely to fall within a percent of our typical range,” Boekelheide said in the email.
He also said that CMC’s International Student Services team “provides information, personal guidance, professional counsel and other forms of targeted support for each student joining CMC from abroad.” Boekelheide described these efforts as “extremely successful,” but did not comment on the experiences of new international students obtaining visas.
Rochelle Lu SC ’28, a returning international student and one of this year’s international pre-orientation leaders at Scripps, shared Maycock’s sentiment that new international students faced unusual challenges in getting here.
“A lot of [accepted] students that originally wanted to come to Scripps couldn’t because they just couldn’t get their visas,” Lu said.
After successfully traveling to the United States, going home and returning to school for breaks poses another issue. Maycock said it’s “heartbreaking” to see her international peers face prejudice. They said that non-white international students are disproportionately pulled aside and experience harsher screenings, including having their social media and personal belongings searched.
Shi and Lu both pointed to Becky Kyles, the International Student Advisor at Scripps, as playing a key role in supporting international students during this period of uncertainty.
Kyles confirmed that “some students experience more difficulty with the process due to the appointment pause,” in email correspondence with TSL.
Kyles also confirmed that two students arrived late due to these challenges.
“I met with several stakeholders on campus to see what allowances could be made for students who were not able to make it to their required orientations due to the pause,” she said in the email. “I’m grateful that everyone worked together to accommodate the two incoming students who needed to arrive late.”
Kyles said when the pause hit, she provided letters for students who had not yet obtained visas to give to their consulates or embassies, requesting an “expedited visa appointment/processing.” Scripps also held a make-up orientation for those who could not attend in person.
Alongside the support from administrative offices, Lu, Maycock and Shi emphasized a greater need for their schools’ domestic students to be attuned to their challenges, whether with visas or as a minority on campus.
“I want domestic students to be aware as well,” Maycock said. “What can you do to help?”
Kyles underscored the importance of international students in and out of the classroom.
“Multicultural learning and understanding are crucial to everyone, and I hope that we see a rise in our international student enrollment next year,” she said.
Lu, Maycock and Shi all expressed concerns around shrinking numbers of international students, especially at predominantly white institutions.
“More international students means more perspectives,” Shi said. “And also more insights to let domestic students see other parts of the world.”
Pomona College and Harvey Mudd College each told TSL in separate emails that official class of 2029 census data would be published in the coming weeks and they both declined to comment further.