The Trump administration is proposing a dramatic new fee on international students seeking work experience in the United States, a policy that universities and immigration experts warn could make American higher education less attractive to foreign talent and disrupt an important recruitment pipeline for technology and other industries.
Under a proposal announced by the Department of Homeland Security, universities would be required to pay $70,000 for each international student they recommend for initial participation in Optional Practical Training, or OPT.
Schools would face an additional $30,000 fee for subsequent OPT participation, potentially bringing the total cost associated with some students to $100,000.
OPT allows international students studying in the United States on F-1 visas to temporarily work in jobs connected to their academic fields. Most eligible graduates can receive up to 12 months of employment authorization, while qualifying science, technology, engineering and mathematics graduates can obtain an additional 24 months.
The program has become an important bridge between American universities and the U.S. labor market.
International graduates frequently use OPT to gain professional experience before employers sponsor them for longer-term work visas such as the H-1B. Technology, engineering, finance and scientific companies are among the industries that recruit heavily from this population.
The proposed fee would fundamentally change that system.
Currently, universities do not pay a comparable charge when recommending students for OPT. International students generally pay application costs of roughly $500.
The administration argues that much larger fees are necessary to discourage abuse.
DHS says OPT has created opportunities for fraud and can function as a source of inexpensive foreign labor that disadvantages American workers. The administration presents the proposal as part of a broader effort to strengthen immigration enforcement and ensure employment programs serve U.S. workers.
Universities and international-education advocates strongly dispute that reasoning.
They warn that few colleges could afford tens of thousands of dollars for every international graduate seeking work authorization. Universities might restrict the number of students they recommend, attempt to pass costs along to students or reconsider how aggressively they recruit internationally.
For prospective students, the consequences could be significant.
The opportunity to gain professional experience after graduation is one of the major attractions of studying in the United States, particularly for students paying high international tuition rates.
If OPT becomes prohibitively expensive or difficult to access, students may increasingly choose universities in other countries.
That risk comes as American universities are already confronting declining international enrollment. The number of new international students entering the United States fell sharply last year, adding financial pressure to institutions that rely heavily on tuition from overseas students.
Employers could also feel the effects.
American technology and financial companies regularly recruit international graduates from U.S. universities, particularly those with advanced STEM degrees. Restricting OPT could reduce the pool of graduates available for specialized positions and make it more difficult for companies to transition talented international students into longer-term employment.
The proposal also fits into a broader Trump administration campaign to tighten rules governing foreign students, including changes affecting visa duration and internship programs.
Those measures have generated lawsuits from universities and education organizations, and the new OPT fee could face legal challenges as well.
For now, the proposal is not yet final. It must go through the federal rulemaking process before taking effect.
The debate nevertheless raises a larger question about America’s approach to global talent.
Supporters of tighter immigration controls argue that employment programs should prioritize American workers and prevent companies from using foreign graduates as cheaper labor.
Universities and businesses counter that international graduates strengthen U.S. research, entrepreneurship and technological competitiveness.
A $70,000 entry price for post-graduation employment could fundamentally alter that balance — transforming OPT from a widely accessible bridge between American education and employment into an opportunity that only the wealthiest universities, students or employers may be able to afford.
