Studying in the United States: Do German students still get a US visa?

A semester abroad in New York or as an exchange student on the west coast: Many young people want to do part of their training in the USA. But new media reports on the US government’s visa plans around President Donald Trump make you look forward. Will it soon be more difficult to study there?

According to media reports, the US government wants to more prospective foreign students and participants of exchange programs in the future. The government has not yet officially made these plans. Several US media reported that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had instructed US messages and consulates worldwide not to award new appointments for corresponding visa applications for the time being.

However, dates that have already been agreed should remain. Categories F, M and J are affected-they apply to students, exchange students and au pairs, reported the CNN broadcaster and the online medium “Politico”. According to the Statistical Federal Office, between 8,000 and 9,000 Germans study in the United States every year.

What should I do as a candidate for a visa now?

There is currently no clear recommendation. When asked for specific information on how to act as a prospective student, there was no evidence from the US message in Berlin.

The university rector conference advises, among other things, “to inquire individually at the International Office of their own university. For people who receive a scholarship, the respective funding organizations are a possible point of contact.” In addition, it could make sense to inform yourself on the website of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and the Federal Foreign Office.

With the current status, the DAAD does not yet give up any assessment and, on request, report: “As DAAD, we first wait for what will be officially communicated by the US government in the next few days. We are observing the situation exactly and will then act accordingly.”

According to the media reports, the US government wants to have the social media activities of the VISA applicants checked more strongly. According to “Politico”, former social media exams primarily concerned students who were already enrolled at US universities and could have participated in propalestinian protests.

In spring, Secretary of State Marco Rubio gave a warning to all students with a visa. Anyone who pens unrest, the document will be withdrawn. Shortly before, a Turkish doctoral student had been arrested on the street at Boston. She was a co-author of an article in a student newspaper of 2024, where the university was asked to recognize that there were clear indications of a “genocide” of Palestinians.

In addition, the US government wants to prevent the Harvard elite university from accepting international students. A court deals with the case. The Trump government justifies its procedure with propalestinian protests at US universities. Harvard, on the other hand, accuses Trump’s government of wanting to put the university under pressure with an illegal retaliation measure.