April 17, 2025
Dear UC colleagues,
Our community continues to assess and respond to the impact of the federal government’s recent decisions to revoke international students’ and scholars’ visas and terminate their profiles in the Student Exchange Visitor Program. UC campuses are checking federal government databases daily to determine the status of their students and proactively notifying students when visa terminations are identified. Campuses are sharing information and available resources with affected students, including referrals to legal counsel. Students are also being directed to UC’s FAQ on federal immigration enforcement actions and the UC “Know Your Rights” card, which provides an overview of legal protections to keep in mind if interacting with law enforcement. In partnership with UC faculty leadership, the University is exploring ways that affected students may be able to continue their education.
In addition, last week the U.S. Department of Energy released a policy flash unilaterally cutting the facilities and administrative rate on grants to institutions of higher education. On Monday, April 14, the Association of American Universities, the American Council on Education, and the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities joined with a number of impacted universities to file a new lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts to halt the proposed cut. The UC system or individual UC campuses are members of these associations. On April 16, U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts issued a temporary restraining order blocking the department from implementing the new policy.
The University is also closely monitoring the federal inquiry of Harvard University. Harvard President Alan M. Garber laid out the reasons why the university could not comply with the federal government’s demands in a letter titled “The Promise of American Higher Education.” As the federal administration now works to rescind the university’s tax-exempt status and freeze more than $2 billion in federal funding, our teams, like higher education institutions across the country, are closely following these developments.
You can stay up-to-date on the latest information by visiting the UC Federal Updates website.
Best,
Meredith Vivian Turner
Senior Vice President
External Relations & Communications
UC Office of the President
University Response & Communications
International student and scholar visas: In addition to systemwide communications, many UC campuses have issued statements on this issue to their local communities.
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UC Berkeley: A message about recent federal visa program updates (April 7, 2025)
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UC Davis: Statement from Chancellor Gary S. May on Federal Immigration Enforcement Actions (April 14, 2025
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UC Irvine: Recent Federal Visa Program Updates // Office of the Chancellor (April 7, 2025)
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UCLA: Update on Federal Immigration Enforcement Actions - UCLA Office of the Chancellor (April 6, 2025)
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UC Merced: Federal Update – Office of the Chancellor(April 11, 2025)
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UC Riverside: Message from Chancellor on Federal Immigration Actions (April 7, 2025)
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UC San Diego: Updates on Recent Federal Immigration Actions (April 4, 2025)
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UC Santa Barbara: Update on Recent Student Visa Actions (April 8, 2025)
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UC Santa Cruz: A Message to Our International Student Community (April 9, 2025); A Message to International Faculty and Scholars (April 9, 2025)
Media Highlights
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Opinion: Californians must defend UC system from Trump’s federal attacks (East Bay Times)
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Opinion: Federal funding changes threaten California students’ education (Sacramento Bee)
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Opinion: UC and CSU funding essential to California’s economic future (Capitol Weekly)
For ongoing updates and resources, please visit the UC Federal Updates website.