Colleges throughout the United States are withdrawing students from Russian study abroad programs, suspending research agreements, and cutting financial links as part of a global outpouring of outrage for the invasion of Ukraine.
At the same time, colleges have pledged to defend Russian students on their campuses, despite requests from a few members of Congress to expel them as a form of retaliation against their home country.
The acts are primarily symbolic–colleges in the United States have little clout to sway Russia or tighten its budget, and academic cooperation between the two countries has always been limited. However, the proposal that some or all Russian students should forego the opportunity to study here has heightened interest in the role of colleges in global conflicts.
“Leaders must differentiate between Putin and Russians seeking a better life,” said Jill Welch, senior adviser to the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, a group of university presidents.”Returning anyone would not shorten any battle by a day.”
Many colleges have voiced concern for Russian students, who, like their Ukrainian counterparts, may be concerned about the safety of family members or encounter unexpected financial difficulties.
Some members of Congress have advocated for visa restrictions on Russian students. The notion has received little backing in Washington, although the White House has since implied that its separate penalties against Russian oligarchs are partially meant to prevent access to US universities.
Many institutions’ primary focus has been to remove American students who were studying in Russia or Ukraine, despite the fact that few are known to have been there. In 2018, 1,400 Americans studied in such countries, while overall study abroad figures have plunged as a result of the pandemic.
Last academic year, over 5,000 Russian students attended colleges in the United States, accounting for fewer than 1% of all international students.
Advocates for international education argue that losing those students means passing up an opportunity to introduce them to Western principles and that Russians who choose to study in America are already more likely to desire to transform their native country.
