The Great American Campus Dilemma

US President Donald Trump has gone after America’s Ivy League colleges, including freezing funding of $2.2 billion to the prestigious Harvard University.

- Saikat Majumdar

His administration feels these universities are sympathetic to the Palestinian cause, to immigrants and are pro-diversity. Harvard at least is fighting back, taking the administration to court. Many other colleges have succumbed to Trump’s pressure tactics. As a result, Indian students face an uncertain future in the US. In this scenario, will American higher education remain viable for Indian middle-class students, many of who take hefty study loans? Should they look at other options? In an email exchange with Saikat Majumdar, Ashoka University professor and former faculty at Stanford, Satish Padmanabhan of Outlook raises these questions. Excerpts.

Why do US colleges remain attractive options for students from all over the world? Is this education really worth the price? Have things changed over the years?