International students contributed $44 billion to the U.S. economy in the 2023-2024 school year. Their loss could hurt more than just universities’ bottom line.

Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, is approximately 11,923 kilometers away from Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, according to a signpost on campus that points to cities around the world. Shrestha, a rising senior, feels that distance acutely every day.

WASHINGTON (AP) — New State Department guidance on visa applications is adding to scrutiny of international students that has intensified under President Donald Trump, who has leveraged control of foreign enrollment to press his demands with American colleges.

The State Department ordered U.S. embassies to temporarily halt student visa appointments, impacting prospective international students hoping to study in America. CBS News' Olivia Rinaldi has the latest.

The share of international students studying at these colleges and across the United States has been growing for the past two decades as rising incomes in countries like China and India have produced more families looking to educate their children in America.

The Trump administration has thrown the lives of the university’s 7,000 international students into distress and disarray, with some afraid of attending commencement this week, Harvard’s director of immigration services spelled out in a new court filing ahead of a major federal court hearing Thursday in Boston.

By Tom Little and Sam Tabahriti COPENHAGEN (Reuters) -When Alfred Williamson packed his bags to travel to Denmark for summer break after a whirlwind first year at Harvard University, he could not wait to return.

If the Trump administration succeeds in barring international students from enrolling at Harvard, it will benefit U.S. competitors such as China, experts say.