One of the principal ways US President Joe Biden will differ from his predecessor is in his administration’s more welcoming stance towards the thousands of international students that flock to America’s shores every year. As vice-president in the Obama administration, Biden recognised the value of international students, both economically – according to the US Department of Commerce, international students contributed US$45 billion to the US economy in 2018 – and as members of university communities, facilitating cultural exchange and knowledge transfer. As such, one of the core challenges of the Biden presidency will be to reverse many of the Trump administration’s policies that had deterred international student enrolment since 2016. These policies targeted Chinese nationals in particular. The duration of visas issued to Chinese graduate students in “sensitive” fields like robotics, aviation and hi-tech manufacturing was shortened from five years to one in 2018, due to the former administration’s heightened scrutiny of Chinese students. Thousands of students move to the US to specialise in these very fields – 55 per cent of STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) students in US universities in 2019 were foreigners. However, these numbers have been dropping – the number of international student visas issued fell by nearly 10 per cent between 2017 and 2019. Many students choose to study in the US with the hope of working there after graduating; the Trump administration’s policies have consequently led many to consider alternatives like Canada, the UK or Australia. Many are also deterred by the Trump administration’s suspension of H-1B visas since June 2020, which stifled the pipeline of high-skilled workers coming into the US. Campus wars: how US-China strains played out at one US university A fall in these numbers could cause a decline in the standard and quantity of research and knowledge transfer at US universities. And yet, this is where admissions trends point; equally, this is why it will be pivotal for the Biden presidency to reverse them. The Biden administration promises a more hospitable space for international students. In one of his first acts as president, Biden announced he would be sending the US Citizenship Act of 2021 to Congress. This bill would make it easier for US university graduates with advanced STEM degrees to stay in the country. It would also provide work authorisation for dependents of H-1B visa holders – including college students – and prevent them from “ageing out” of visa status at 21. While the Citizenship Act will face challenges in Congress, it remains a potent symbol of the Biden presidency’s inclusive stance towards foreign students. In his final weeks as president, Trump issued a proclamation extending the H-1B visa ban to March 2021, but hopes are high that the Biden administration will repeal this policy as well. Concerns over the former administration’s uncoordinated pandemic response and the consequent surge in infections nationwide led to international student enrolment declining – it dropped by 43 per cent in 2020, according to a survey of over 700 colleges. In contrast, Biden promises decisive steps forward, especially for higher education. In an executive order , he states: “It is the policy of my administration to provide support to help create the conditions for safe, in-person learning as quickly as possible.” What Chinese students in the US think: an attempt to explain Of Biden’s US$1.9 trillion stimulus relief package, US$400 billion would go directly to combating the pandemic, and US$35 billion would go towards higher education institutions, targeting public and minority-serving institutions. This signals to foreign students that there is, at least, a plan in place to ensure that normalcy in higher education will return, albeit gradually, in the form of in-person instruction and other social and academic experiences that make an international education so valuable. While it may be too early to see the impact of Biden’s policies on international students – the most telling metric will be enrolment rates for the Class of 2025 – the surge in undergraduate application numbers this year indicates that even amid a pandemic, the appeal of a US university education for international students remains high. Harvard University recently announced more than 57,000 undergraduate applicants this year, a roughly 42 per cent increase over last year – a record. This trend continues across all top US universities – Brown University also announced a 26 per cent increase in applicants this year, and New York University applications crossed the 100,000 mark for the first time. Why Chinese applicants should be cautious when applying to US universities There are many reasons for this. A large contributing factor is that many universities went “test-optional” this year, forgoing standardised tests (like the SAT) in the application process due to pandemic-related disruptions. The generous financial aid policies of top universities even in the midst of a recession could also have been a pull factor – Harvard says it will meet 100 per cent of demonstrated need for all admitted students. Further, the 2020 US election results could have prompted last-minute applications (the deadline for most US universities is January 1). In the wake of a Biden win, growing fears over the new Covid-19 strain in the UK and travel restrictions in Australia, we are seeing increasing numbers of students once again turning towards the US as their first choice in studying overseas. There is a reason that, for years, the US has been such a compelling option for international students. It promises to open doors and to provide unparalleled opportunities for personal and professional growth. The Biden presidency and its stance so far only reinforce that promise, reminding the thousands of students that move to the US every year: you are welcome here. Quinn Koh is the regional manager of Crimson Education, Southeast Asia