Purdue University has quietly imposed an unwritten policy sharply limiting the admission of graduate students from China and other politically sensitive nations, a move driven by national security concerns that critics say risks damaging the university’s engineering research pipeline.
The informal directive emerged after scrutiny from Congress and the Trump administration over espionage risks tied to foreign scholars, particularly in engineering, computer science, and advanced technology fields where federal funding, intellectual property, and defense research often intersect, according to a new report.
Faculty members say the policy affects applicants from up to 30 countries, including seven designated by the U.S. government as “countries of concern,” such as China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Venezuela, and Cuba. Chinese nationals made up roughly one-fifth of Purdue’s doctoral students when congressional investigators began pressing universities to strengthen safeguards.
The restrictions became visible last spring when more than 100 graduate admissions—mostly involving students from China—were rescinded after departments had issued acceptance letters. Applicants received a standardized notice from the Office of Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Scholars stating: “The Office of Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Scholars [OGSPS] must approve all graduate admissions and funding offers at Purdue. Unfortunately, your application was not approved for admission by OGSPS.”
Faculty members, instructed not to speak publicly, say the policy has been communicated verbally rather than through written guidance. One professor described it as incoherent, saying, “The policy doesn’t make any sense,” and warned that if it continues, “we’ll experience a huge brain drain of talented students simply because the university is willing to capitulate to avoid being targeted by this administration.”
Administrators have reportedly justified the approach as a precaution amid visa uncertainties, arguing that students from flagged countries may ultimately be unable to enter the U.S., disrupting research projects. Critics counter that the explanation understates deeper fears about espionage, technology transfer, and political scrutiny—especially in engineering departments closely tied to federal grants.
Those concerns intensified after a March 2025 inquiry from a U.S. House select committee examining the Chinese Communist Party, which sought information from Purdue about Chinese students’ activities, institutional ties, and protections for intellectual property. In a September 2025 report, committee chairman Rep. John Moolenaar (R-MI) praised Purdue’s response, calling its safeguards a model for other universities.
Purdue has declined to discuss the policy in detail, stating only that it “does not discriminate in admissions on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, age, national origin or ancestry, or any other protected status.”
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