The White House’s sudden $100,000 H‑1B fee is forcing colleges to reassess international hiring strategies. President Trump signed the proclamation on Sept. 19; universities that rely on H‑1B sponsorship for faculty and researchers — including Stanford, Michigan and Columbia — face dramatically higher costs. Miriam Feldblum of the Presidents’ Alliance warns the surcharge will deter global talent and shrink campuses’ researcher pipelines. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services later clarified parts of the rule, saying the fee applies to new petitions and not to some change-of-status requests, a distinction that may spare some graduating students already in the U.S. But legal and higher‑education advisors are still parsing exemptions and implementation details. Colleges that depend on foreign hires are weighing short‑term workarounds and longer shifts in recruitment, while research programs that historically depend on international scholars could see slower growth or curtailed offerings if the cost becomes prohibitive.