As the Trump administration weighs stricter immigration guidelines, international students at Penn say the mounting uncertainty is already reshaping their career plans.
The anxiety stems from a flurry of recent federal proposals that could alter work authorization policies, including a reported $100,000 fee on Optional Practical Training, which allows international graduates to work in the United States after graduation. For some students, the developments reinforce a growing belief that the path to working in the U.S. has become increasingly out of reach.
An Engineering senior — who requested anonymity for fear of retribution — explained in an interview that only a limited number of employers in high-paying industries can sponsor visas. Those firms, he said, “do not have $100,000 to sponsor your H-1B visa,” which “limits your options to a very great degree.”
According to another student, who was also granted anonymity, that trade-off can happen quickly once you arrive on campus. The student — a junior in the Engineering school — decided to recruit for consulting jobs because they offered better sponsorship prospects than other roles.
“I really, really wanted to stay in the U.S., and I knew consulting could offer me that in an easier way,” she said in an interview. “The career you choose to do post-grad is kind of affected by whether you can find a company that can sponsor you. You just have to weigh it and decide what you want more: staying in the States or just pursuing the career path you want.”
College junior Anouchka Fabert said that the pressure has only intensified as she nears a decision about her career. She had originally intended to return to Europe after graduation but now wants to work in health technology, an industry she says has far more opportunities in cities like New York and San Francisco.
“I’m starting to know what I want to do — and at the same time, I’m starting to find out that I can’t do it,” she explained.
Fabert said that the common response from many international students is to “just ignore for now” and “hope that somehow it gets figured out by the time you have to deal with it for real.”
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STEM students are granted a three-year OPT window, while those in other disciplines receive only one year. The Engineering senior said the disparity has left many of his friends with humanities degrees struggling to find work after graduation.
The Engineering junior encountered a different obstacle when she nearly lost her Curricular Practical Training authorization over a summer consulting internship. CPT is a form of temporary authorization that allows international students to work off-campus while seeking a bachelor’s degree.
According to the Engineering junior, her work was not considered similar enough to her major, which can disqualify students under new federal guidance issued by the United States Student and Exchange Visitor Program. To adapt to the shifting rules, she said, some students are rushing to start their OPT a year early.
In August, Penn’s International Student and Scholar Services announced that the University would temporarily pause new and pending applications for CPT, due to new federal instructions.
The student added that she was “generally satisfied” with how ISSS had kept students informed, describing the office’s email updates as “concise and to the point.” She also recounted a positive experience during an ISSS advising appointment.
The Engineering senior stated that while the office faced communication limitations, those challenges primarily reflect shifting federal regulations rather than a failing on the University’s part.
“I wouldn’t say that Penn is at fault for not providing its international students with adequate information, because there just is a lack of information and things are changing like every week,” he said. “They’re working with the information they have, but the information itself is just limited.”
Fabert was less satisfied, describing ISSS communications as “very scattered” and “all over the place.” She complained that there was no single, reliable source for students.
Another student — a sophomore in the College — was also critical of the level of University communication, calling ISSS “very ignorant to not inform us of everything.” The student requested anonymity for fear of retribution.
“We are talking about people’s lives,” they told The Daily Pennsylvanian.
Rudie Altamirano, the executive director of ISSS, wrote in a statement that his office recognizes that “the rapidly changing federal immigration environment has created significant uncertainty particularly as students consider employment, travel, and their plans after graduation.”
Altamirano added that the University and ISSS “do not determine federal immigration policy,” and “remain fully committed to helping our international students understand their options, meet important deadlines, and make informed decisions.”
Admitting international students, the College sophomore argued, comes with an obligation to support them.
“You cannot expect to have a global student base and not account for everybody in it as well,” the student said. “I personally don’t feel protected.”
They said that anxiety among international students has less to do with their immigration status than with the University's response — even at a time of heightened immigration enforcement.
“What is the University going to do to protect me if I’m accused of doing something wrong?” the student asked.
They added that their classmates from “countries which aren’t on good terms with the United States” feel it most, explaining that the uncertainty is “really hard to live with on a day-to-day basis.”
For them, student organizations — such as Penn for Immigrant Rights and cultural affinity groups — are the most consistent sources of information and community.
The Engineering senior claimed that if Penn cannot ensure international students can find work after graduation, it should reevaluate its admissions process.
“If you’re not able to protect these international students under the current administration, then maybe Penn also needs to reconsider the amount of international students it takes in every year,” he said.
Students who move across the world for a Penn degree, he added, “would have been better off in a country where the fate of international students is not under as big a threat as it is in the U.S.”
He argued that the Trump administration’s policies were more “ideologically motivated” than economically sound, pointing to the revenue international students bring to universities. He said that though he receives financial aid, he is “an anomaly” among his peers — most of whom pay full tuition.
“I wouldn’t say cash cows of the University, but to some extent they are,” he said. “It’s in the best interest of these universities to keep admitting international students.”
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Senior reporter Riana Mahtani covers national politics and can be reached at mahtani@thedp.com. At Penn, she studies political science. Follow her on X @Riana_Mahtani.
