Trump, Harvard & US Competitiveness: A Lost Edge?
- The United States' dominance in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields is heavily reliant on foreign-born talent, with 19% of the overall STEM workforce and 43% of...
- Immigrants have also won roughly a third of American Nobel Prizes in physics, chemistry and medicine as 1901, a figure that has increased in recent decades.
- The U.S.K-12 education system may not be prepared to fill that gap.
The United States’ edge in STEM hinges on foreign-born scientists; they make up a significant chunk of the STEM workforce. The article reveals how weak K-12 education and potential restrictions on foreign students threaten the U.S.’s future dominance in science and technology. Experts warn that limiting the influx of international talent could cripple American innovation. Recent international assessments show U.S. students scoring below average in math, highlighting a growing educational gap. News Directory 3 explores how the U.S. risks losing its historical lead. With proposed policy shifts, what does the future hold for American scientific leadership? Discover what’s next.
US STEM leadership depends on foreign-born scientists
Updated May 28, 2025
The United States’ dominance in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields is heavily reliant on foreign-born talent, with 19% of the overall STEM workforce and 43% of the PhD-level workforce born outside the U.S.
Immigrants have also won roughly a third of American Nobel Prizes in physics, chemistry and medicine as 1901, a figure that has increased in recent decades. Experts suggest that deporting all foreign scientists and science students would cripple U.S. science.
The U.S.K-12 education system may not be prepared to fill that gap. Results from the Program for international Student Assessment (PISA) show that in 2022, U.S. students scored below average in math compared to other developed countries. Reading and science scores were only slightly above average.
While learning loss due to the pandemic has drawn attention, American students have been lagging behind international peers for years. Other wealthy nations regularly outperform the U.S.in math by the equivalent of a full academic year.
Although U.S. students perform around the middle compared to their international peers, this is a decline from the nation’s earlier status as a pioneer in worldwide education. By 1950, 34% of U.S. adults had completed high school or more, compared to 14% in the UK and 11% in france.
Other countries have since caught up, but the U.S. has maintained its scientific brainpower due to elite universities’ ability to recruit top talent. Without foreign talent,U.S. science would likely reflect its K-12 performance: merely fine.
The Trump administration is reportedly considering stricter measures for foreign students, including social media vetting. With universities worldwide competing to attract international students, these policies could deter top students from choosing the U.S.
Historically, the U.S. achieved scientific leadership by educating its citizens and supporting top universities.Now, the nation appears poised to undermine both.
What’s next
Potential restrictions on foreign students and funding cuts to institutions like Harvard could jeopardize the nation’s scientific standing.