Federal immigration restrictions are the primary driver behind a 14% decline in graduate student enrollment at Virginia Tech since 2024, and there are “a lot” of future threats to the school’s graduate programs, the university’s dean of graduate education said Monday.

Since President Donald Trump took office in early 2025, the federal government has increased scrutiny of F-1 student visas, banned visa issuance to nationals of certain countries and revoked existing student visas and legal statuses for a range of reasons, including political activity.

Enforcement has also come with the detention and deportation of some students by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

Aimée Surprenant, dean of Virginia Tech’s Graduate School, said those policies are the primary cause of falling graduate enrollment at the university," reports The Roanoke Times.

Photo: Aimée Surprenant, dean of graduate education, addresses the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors on Monday. Ethan Hunt.