Four University of Oregon students have their visas revoked

The Department of Homeland Security has revoked the visas of four international students at the University of Oregon, based on unspecified criminal charges, according to a statement from Eric Howald, assistant director of issues management at UO. 

The four students held F-1 visas, which allowed them to study at UO. The four were in good academic standing at the university, according to Howald’s statement.

The students are required to leave the country within 15 days when their F-1 visa status is terminated, unless they have another legal pathway for staying. UO had no advance warning about the revocations and has no details about the nature of the criminal charges, according to the statement. 

Howald’s statement said administrators are working with the students, connecting them with legal advice and helping them navigate next steps. 

Revocations are rare, something the UO’s vice provost of global engagement, Dennis Galvan, hasn’t seen in 20 years. 

The university has 796 students from more than 90 countries on active F-1 visas, although not all are currently enrolled in classes.

International student tuition is the same as out-of-state tuition, which the UO estimates at $46,077 for the 2025–26 academic year. 

Universities across the country are reporting that some international students on F-1 visas are learning those visas have been revoked. 

The Department of Homeland Security’s actions are bound to have a chilling effect on international student enrollment in the future.

The UO, already facing a $2 million budget deficit for 2025, estimates tuition revenue from international students at more than $36 million for the 2024–25 academic year. 

The international student population at the university was already well off its prepandemic highs. 

At its peak, during the 2015–16 academic year, 3,400 international students were studying in Eugene.