Introduction
America’s future is built in its classrooms. The U.S. Citizen Student Education Protection Act offers a bold legislative solution to restore opportunity for American citizen students, rebalance higher education, and protect national security.
At its core is the U.S. Foreign Student Enrollment Levy—a first-of-its-kind framework that not only taxes foreign enrollment but formally classifies international student enrollment as a distinct, trackable economic industry.
This recognition is supported by the NAICS 611319 proposal, that introduces a new statistical code for International Student Enrollment and Compliance Services, capturing the recruitment, admission, and visa oversight of 1.5 million foreign students in U.S. universities.
Universities today operate in a global education market valued at $40 billion annually in the U.S. alone (IIE Open Doors 2023). Institutions increasingly treat foreign enrollment as a financial strategy, leveraging premium tuition streams while displacing U.S. citizens in critical programs like STEM and healthcare.
This Act addresses that imbalance by applying a Single-Tax Pillar, 4-Tier Duration Framework that reorients higher education toward serving American students first, funds scholarships and infrastructure, and enhances national security vetting—grounded in data now formalized under NAICS 611319.
The Problem
American citizen students are increasingly disadvantaged by the institutionalization of foreign enrollment:
- Enrollment Displacement: Over 1.5 million international students are enrolled (F-1, J-1, OPT, CPT), yet U.S. citizen STEM enrollment has declined 10% since 2010 (NCES 2023). OPT/CPT programs allow many of these students to remain in the labor market long after graduation.
- Tuition Pressures: Foreign students generate premium tuition, driving institutional dependence and sidelining affordability for American students.
- Resource Strain: Dorms, labs, and faculty are allocated to foreign enrollees while domestic students face rising tuition (+30% since 2010) and limited access to competitive programs.
- National Security Risks: In 2023, 80% of DOJ intellectual property theft cases involved foreign students. STEM programs lack uniform vetting, exposing U.S. research and infrastructure to foreign intelligence risks.
Existing data systems like NAICS 611310 fail to distinguish general enrollment from foreign enrollment, obscuring the scale and economic strategy behind this trend. The new NAICS 611319 code corrects this, enabling focused policymaking and targeted taxation.
The Solution – U.S. Foreign Student Enrollment Levy
The U.S. Foreign Student Enrollment Levy forms the backbone of the Act—a Single-Tax Pillar, applied through a 4-Tier Duration Model to incentivize domestic enrollment and realign incentives:
4-Tier Duration Structure
- Year 1 – $500 flat rate for short-term cultural exchange students (e.g., J-1), preserving diplomatic missions (~150,000 students, SEVIS 2023).
- Years 2–3 – $1,000–$3,000 levy for undergrad/early graduate enrollment to curb overreliance.
- Years 4–5 – $2,000–$4,000, targeting dual-degree and long-duration foreign enrollment.
- Year 6+ – $3,000–$6,000, discouraging excessive foreign presence in advanced graduate and Ph.D. fields.
STEM Surcharge
- Additional $500–$1,000 per student in high-demand STEM fields, where foreign students now occupy 60% of graduate slots (NSF 2023).
Collection Mechanism
- Administered through the IRS and SEVIS filings, integrated into new reporting standards under NAICS 611319, which captures I-20 issuance, SEVIS compliance, OPT/CPT work authorization, and international marketing functions by universities.
Economic and Educational Benefits
Scholarships and Tuition Relief
- Levy proceeds directly fund merit- and need-based scholarships for American citizens, with emphasis on healthcare, teaching, and engineering disciplines.
Campus Infrastructure Expansion
- Revenues support lab construction, dormitory capacity, and classroom expansion for domestic students—mitigating the crowd-out effects of international enrollment.
Incentives for U.S. Enrollment
- $5,000–$7,500 tax credits per American citizen student enrolled in high-demand fields.
- $1,000/year retention bonuses for keeping U.S. students in full-time programs.
- 5% tax break for schools with 85%+ U.S. citizen enrollment, incentivizing long-term shift toward domestic student populations.
National Security Provisions
Enhanced Vetting
- Dedicated levy funds support interagency screening of F-1/J-1 students in sensitive domains (e.g., AI, quantum, biotech).
- DHS, DOE, and DOJ collaborate on student-level security reviews—coordinated under NAICS 611319 data systems.
Transparency Requirements
- Public disclosure of foreign student enrollment by visa type, country, and academic field.
- Institutions must demonstrate affirmative U.S. recruitment efforts before exceeding a 15% foreign enrollment threshold.
Enforcement and Compliance
- Annual Audits: Department of Education and IRS will cross-reference SEVIS and 611319 enrollment records.
- Penalties: 100% surcharge on unpaid levies and up to 5-year ban on federal funding, including Pell Grants and research grants.
- No Exemptions: Applies uniformly across all accredited U.S. colleges and universities with F-1 or J-1 student enrollment.
Why Now
America cannot afford to outsource its education pipeline to foreign interests. Higher education has shifted from mission-driven learning to market-driven admissions, crowding out citizens in favor of full-tuition-paying international students.
The U.S. Citizen Student Education Protection Act, reinforced by the data infrastructure of NAICS 611319, provides a clear, bipartisan solution:
- Aligns with conservative goals of national security and economic self-reliance.
- Supports progressive goals of educational equity and affordability.
- Addresses growing public demand for fairness in college access and opportunity.
Call to Action
We urge Congress to:
- Pass the U.S. Citizen Student Education Protection Act
- Support the adoption of NAICS 611319 in the 2027 NAICS update.
- Hold hearings in the House Education and Workforce and Senate HELP Committees
- Engage stakeholders to implement a fair, citizen-first higher education model.
Supporting Data Available Upon Request
- SEVIS enrollment statistics
- NSF/NCES STEM enrollment trends
- USCIS OPT/CPT authorizations
- College Board tuition history
- DOJ IP theft cases involving foreign nationals
- Full NAICS 611319 proposal (July 2025 submission)