Originally aired December 18, 2026
In the U.S. today, one and a half million visa students are studying on college campuses. They are facing a reality that is much different from their domestic peers.
NPR Illinois J-Corps community reporter Ko’uHopkins heard from some of these students who came here to the United States for an education but are having to balance school with political reality.
Arushay Awan is a senior at Bradley University studying political science. She’s an international student from Pakistan on the pre-law track, hoping to attend law school after graduation. Like many in college, she’s dealing with finances.
“I work two jobs on campus so I can support myself and not be a burden on my parents.”
But making ends meet is just one of the things on her mind.
There are so many times where I have to stay mute. Cause if I answer... a question..., it would affect me and my visa, and I would like to get my degree.Arushay Awan
“There is also the idea of legality, am I working on time? Am I going overtime? Do I also keep my grades up? Because that also affects my scholarship. But people don’t understand this stuff. They think that just because you're in the country, you’re good now.”
She is also paying attention to the Trump Administration’s hardline approach on immigration. Many students I contacted declined to talk with me due to fear that speaking out could have consequences for their visa status.
Arushay understands and says she mostly stays quiet about such issues.
“There are so many times where I have to stay mute. Cause if I answer a different thing or a question a different topic, it would affect me and my visa, and I would like to get my degree, because it's a hard thing being a student.”
It all leads to more stress for a young college student. According to the National Institute of Health, international students in the U.S. face significant mental health challenges, with high rates of anxiety and depression, driven by factors like cultural adjustment, isolation, language barriers, and financial need.
While she made a voluntary decision to come to this country, others have had that decision forced upon them.
Ignat Striletskyi from Ukraine is a student at the University of Illinois Springfield. He is passionate about law, political leadership, and international relations as he hopes to continue his work in political campaigns and community engagement. At the age of 17, he and his mother boarded an evacuation train from their war-torn homeland.
“On March 9, we went to the railway station, and we jumped on this evacuation train where it was kids from Mariupol from southern part of Ukraine, from Donetsk, who tried to just, just to leave the warzone. Just try to escape this tragedy. So if you imagine, there was like one seat, and I split this one seat with two or three people. It was baby crying, it was no food, no bathroom.”
From there, he walked the last leg of his journey on foot from the Polish border and got to France. He soon found himself in the U.S.
“The United States is the land of the opportunity, the opportunity for all. And I think that as a kid, I wanted to make a difference, I wanted to make an impact, later on, when I was around 15, 14, I found myself in the position that I wanted to be a lawyer, possibly a politician because in my opinion, that was the way that I can serve my country, serve my people, make an impact.”
Ignat is still hopeful and appreciative of this kindness he has received.
Walter Hernadez is an international student now in Tennessee. He is studying business administration and is a young entrepreneur operating his own business based in Mexico. He touches on how coming to the U.S. has changed his life and his business as he works with artists worldwide on intellectual property. While excited for the opportunity, he still misses home.
“It is a different experience than the one other students are having. In fact, leaving your home behind is one of the things that makes us regret even coming here.”
Another point that causes this type of regret is stereotypes. Walter touches upon how these stereotypes are born from ignorance and misconceptions.
“I address many racist comments in this sense. I am a proud Mexican, and I will act the best I can, now that I am here in USA. Because I am an ambassador of my country, and every time I am here, I try my best academically, health-wise, and for other people to notice, I am not the stereotypical Mexican, but someone else.”
An analysis from the Institute of International Education shows new international student enrollment at U.S. campuses fell 17 percent this fall because of visa restrictions and other government policies. Those students pay tuition and spend money. This drop is projected to cost the U.S. economy more than one billion dollars.
Walter says there are other costs not always measured financially.
“Immigration really brings so many new opportunities for everyone. I am here not to get help by the university to get money. I am truly just here to share what I know.”
This report is made possible by a grant from Healing Illinois, an initiative of the Illinois Department of Human Services and the Field Foundation of Illinois that seeks to advance racial healing through storytelling and community collaborations.
Managed by the Community Foundation for the Land of Lincoln's Press Forward Springfield, this project goal is to produce impactful news coverage on the disparities and tensions within and among the region's diverse communities while maintaining editorial independence.
The citizen and student NPR Illinois J-Corps, or Journalism Corps, is a vision and project to identify and train people in communities throughout central Illinois to cover or increase coverage of under covered areas.
