Losing Its Luster: America’s Struggle to Attract the World’s Best and Brightest

The United States has long been a magnet for exceptional talent from around the world, but recent policy developments threaten to erode this advantage. A median of just 37% of respondents in global polling express a favorable view of the United States, down from previous years.

The reasons for this decline are complex, but at its core lies a fundamental flaw in current policy choices. Policymakers seem to be undermining the strengths that made America influential: world-class universities, deep financial markets, and leading research institutions. This has led to a worrying trend: international students are turning away from American colleges and universities.

Recent polling shows global approval of U.S. leadership has fallen dramatically, while China’s favorability rating among many countries surveyed has increased. Among NATO allies, approval of U.S. leadership plummeted by 14 percentage points to just 21%. This is not merely a matter of image; it reflects a tangible shift in the global balance of power.

The United States did not become a global leader solely through its economic or military prowess. Rather, it was its magnetism – its ability to attract and nurture exceptional talent from around the world – that set it apart. Consider Sergey Brin, who came to America as a child fleeing the Soviet Union, or Hong Wang and Yu Deng, Chinese-born mathematicians who earned their Ph.D.s at MIT and Princeton before going on to teach at U.S. universities.

International students contributed $43.8 billion to the U.S. economy in 2023-2024, supporting almost 380,000 jobs. Moreover, nearly one quarter of all U.S. startups worth $1 billion have at least one founder who first came to America as an international student – a testament to the country’s ability to attract and retain talent.

However, recent policy developments risk undermining this advantage. Expanded visa screening and vetting, restrictions affecting international students from certain countries, greater scrutiny of universities’ foreign funding and research partnerships, and cuts and uncertainty surrounding federal research funding all contribute to an increasingly inhospitable environment for international scholars. New international student enrollment at U.S. colleges and universities fell 17% in fall 2025.

The issue here is not merely one of national security or economic concern; it is also about maintaining America’s position as a leader in innovation. Businesses understand the importance of talent, and great companies compete relentlessly for the world’s best people, recognizing that innovation is founded on human capital. Governments that want to lead in fields like artificial intelligence, biotechnology, quantum computing, advanced manufacturing, and clean energy will need to do the same.

If the world’s most talented young people choose Beijing, London, or Singapore over Boston, San Francisco, or Austin, it will mean fewer U.S. startups, a weaker research ecosystem, and a narrowing of technological leadership. Once an ecosystem loses its magnetism, it can be hard to get it back – a lesson that policymakers would do well to remember.

The challenge facing America is not simply one of choosing between security and openness; rather, it is about designing policies sophisticated enough to achieve both. Targeted export controls, rigorous protection of sensitive technologies, and transparent research-security standards can coexist with robust academic exchange, joint research on global challenges, and continued recruitment of exceptional international talent.

Sustaining carefully designed channels for academic exchange and scientific cooperation, while protecting genuinely sensitive technologies, would strengthen America’s long-term competitiveness. It would also bolster a defining characteristic of America’s national brand: the confidence that openness brings. As the United States navigates its increasingly complex relationships with other nations – particularly China – it is more important than ever to get this equation right.

The stakes are high. If America fails to attract and retain exceptional talent, it risks losing its position as a global leader in innovation. The consequences will be far-reaching: a weaker research ecosystem, fewer startups, and a narrowing of technological leadership. It’s time for policymakers to rethink their approach – before it’s too late.