In today's issue, we examine the decline in international student enrollment.
We also look at
✨ The success of an experiment in neurodivergent education
✨ A $250M investment in biomedical innovation
✨ How AI imitated art -- briefly

A federal judge has issued a preliminary injunction to stop the Trump administration from withholding federal funding from the University of California system, ruling the administration likely violated the First Amendment by attempting to suppress liberal viewpoints. The case began after the administration canceled $584 million in research grants to UCLA following a protest involving allegations of antisemitism.

Landmark College in Putney, Vt., is celebrating its 40th anniversary as a pioneering institution for neurodivergent students. Founded as an alternative to a proposed prison on the site of Windham College, Landmark has grown from 77 students to more than 400, offering personalized education and support for students with dyslexia, autism and ADHD. "We are teaching meta-cognition, self-awareness and self-advocacy," says professor Rebecca Matte. "In this environment, many of our students are less disabled, and they're figuring out how to make it work."

New international student enrollment at US colleges and universities dropped 17% this fall, the largest non-pandemic decline in more than a decade, according to the Institute of International Education. The decrease is attributed to visa restrictions and immigration enforcement under President Donald Trump, which has made the US less attractive to international students. The trend poses a threat to the global competitiveness of US higher education and its economic contributions, with the National Association for Foreign Student Affairs estimating a loss of more than $1.1 billion in revenue and almost 23,000 jobs.

Unpaid internships are a significant issue for college students, with about 1 million working without pay, writes Savannah Celeste Scott, a senior at the University of Georgia. Scott argues that unpaid internships are exploitative, particularly affecting low-income and marginalized students, and that legislation is needed to mandate paid internships.

The University of Michigan is investing $250 million over five years to establish a biomedical innovation institute focused on biological AI, clinical trials and commercialization. The initiative aims to recruit global scientists and accelerate the translation of research into patient care, Interim President Domenico Grasso says.

The use of generative AI in higher education raises ethical concerns beyond student cheating, including data privacy and the use of copyrighted material in training large language models, writes Jeffrey Dixon, a sociologist at the College of the Holy Cross. Dixon argues that the primary responsibility for ethical AI use should lie with technology companies and educational institutions, not just students, and highlights the need for universities to secure licenses that protect student data and provide equitable access to AI tools.