As the U.S. higher education community navigates ongoing changes in international education and the visa regulatory environment, global competition for international students has intensified.
Institutions face a critical internal test: Who will strengthen the infrastructure that sustains international education compliance, service and student success?
For decades, international students have fueled innovation, diversity and financial stability across American colleges and universities. Yet the systems and staffing structures that support those students are under increasing strain.
The professionals who manage visas, advise students and ensure program compliance are working at or beyond capacity.
Terra Dotta’s “Voice of the Professionals” survey offers a snapshot of the challenge. Student-to-staff ratios in global services offices are out of sync. One in four of the professionals responsible for visa compliance and advising has left their role in the past three years, with turnover outpacing other campus sectors by roughly 25%.
Many entry-level staff members—those overseeing student and exchange visitor information system reporting, visa processing and employment authorization—are paid below market rates and see few opportunities for advancement.
These pressures create a precarious feedback loop: staff shortages lead to burnout and turnover, which in turn exacerbate compliance risk and weaken institutional resilience. In a regulatory environment where a single missed compliance update can trigger significant repercussions—such as a revoked visa or even deportation—the stakes are high.
Delivering a seamless experience
International education is a strategic higher education function. Staffing, compensation and operational infrastructure in these offices influence an institution’s ability to grow enrollment, maintain accreditation and protect its reputation.
Yet, outdated systems, short-term staffing and minimal investment are still common. One in five U.S. international student support offices lacks dedicated software to manage regulatory compliance, and a third report readiness gaps for increased enrollments, the survey found.
These administrative inefficiencies are liabilities. A single compliance failure can undo years of careful global recruitment and partnership building.
For campus executives, addressing these challenges requires reframing international education staffing as a cornerstone of institutional strategy, not a cost center. The solution begins with people: competitive compensation, manageable student-to-staff ratios and professional growth opportunities that retain expertise.
It extends to technology. Digital infrastructure that automates visa compliance workflowsa and identifies potential errors before they escalate, frees professionals to focus on high-value student engagement. This requires leadership and vision to position global engagement offices as key partners in institutional success.
The benefits of this shift are tangible. Universities that invest in modern advising systems and recalibrate staffing models report faster visa processing, improved international student satisfaction and stronger regulatory readiness. These outcomes translate directly into institutional stability and competitive advantage.
The financial argument is equally compelling. International students now represent roughly 10% of total enrollment on U.S. campuses, and more than 14% at many private institutions.
They help sustain programs facing domestic enrollment headwinds and contribute directly to institutional research, innovation and workforce development goals. In North Texas,for example, institutions have acknowledged revenue risk tied to foreign enrollment dips. One report notes that a projected 30% drop could cost the University of North Texas tens of millions of dollars.
The long-term viability of international education depends on maintaining regulatory compliance and delivering foreign students a seamless, high-quality student experience. These objectives require well-supported, well-resourced teams.
Opportunity and optimism
The same data that highlights strain also points to opportunity: the ability to build a stronger, more future-ready foundation for global engagement. The leaders will be proactive institutions that realign international education budgets to support fair compensation, adopt technology that scales with enrollment and foster professional growth.
There is reason for optimism. Higher ed’s resilience through the past several years—navigating pandemic disruption, policy uncertainty and shifting global demographics—demonstrates an enduring commitment to global connection. That commitment now needs to extend to the systems and professionals who make international education possible.
The next phase of growth in international enrollment will not be defined solely by recruitment strategies but by how well institutions sustain the operational infrastructure behind them. Those schools that invest in international education will set the standard for what a globally-engaged, student-centered and compliance-ready university looks like in the decade ahead.
