International students look beyond the US for grad school

For chemistry students across the globe, coming to the US to pursue graduate education is often the dream. Ample funding, access to cutting-edge research facilities, and the ease of transitioning into industry from academia have attracted international talent to the US for decades. But for many, that dream has suddenly been upended. Research funding cuts by the second Donald J. Trump administration, fluctuating international relations, and rescinded offer letters from US universities are discouraging some prospective students from applying to graduate programs in the US. Instead, these students are looking for opportunities in places like Canada, China, and Europe. Abhijit Majumdar, a professor in the chemical engineering department at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, India’s premier research university, says that for years he has watched “brain drain” from India. But following reductions in US federal research grants and the cancellation of previously awarded grants , Majumdar says, everything seems