Now, some university advisers are quietly telling students from abroad to hire a lawyer and keep attending classes while legal appeals play out, according to over two dozen students, immigration attorneys and university officials Reuters spoke to.

College endowments provide long-term financial support but are often restricted and can't be freely spent. Their structure makes them ill-suited to cover sudden funding cuts like those proposed by the Trump administration.

President Trump's executive orders restructure the accreditation system, bolster the standing of HBCUs, scrutinize foreign donations to higher education research and tackle AI..

The legal showdown over academic freedom, federal funding and campus oversight will likely take years to play out and could end up at the Supreme Court.