The University of Minnesota's Board of Regents wrapped its final meeting of the summer on July 22, and much of the discussion centered on how Trump administration policy changes could reshape the University's research mission and its ability to enroll international students. President Rebecca Cunningham laid out two federal moves administrators see as direct threats: a new visa rule and a proposed rewrite of how federal science grants get approved.
The first is a Department of Homeland Security rule announced July 16 that would cap how long F-1 international students and J-1 exchange visitors can stay in the country, replacing the current open-ended "duration of status" system. The rule is set to take effect September 15.
The second is a proposed Office of Management and Budget rule that would hand political appointees, rather than panels of scientific peer reviewers, final say over which federal research grants get funded. Cunningham sent a letter July 20 laying out the University's opposition. "It would introduce a political review on top of merit-based scholarship."
The OMB proposal comes from an office run by Russell Vought, an architect of Project 2025, and would apply to hundreds of billions of dollars in federal research awards each year, letting political appointees veto grants that don't fit the administration's agenda.
Cunningham addressed the same funding threats in more detail in a separate Q&A.
Regents and administrators framed both issues as part of a broader reckoning over what federal disengagement from higher education could mean for Minnesota, with Cunningham emphasizing that the University intends to keep supporting students and researchers through whatever comes next.
