Yingyi Ma Quoted in NY Times Article on Challenges Faced by International Students Under Trump

January 20, 2026

The New York Times

Yingyi Ma

Sociology Department

Center for Policy Research

East Asia Program

China

Federal

International Affairs

U.S. Education

United States

The New York Times

Yingyi Ma

The Trump administration's immigration restrictions have led to sharp drops in international student enrollment, with the University of Wisconsin-Madison seeing 25% fewer new international undergraduates last fall.

International students, who pay full tuition and are crucial to university finances, are increasingly considering alternatives amid visa uncertainties and conflicting signals from President Trump about their role in American higher education.

“The reality is that China’s best and the brightest are not coming but leaving,” says Yingyi Ma, professor of sociology.

Read more in the New York Times article, “How Trump Made Life Difficult for International Students and Wisconsin.”