Webster University is ending its chess program, citing visa approvals and inability to secure endowment support amid ongoing enrollment declines. The school said it could not raise new funds to sustain the program and that the operating cost exceeded $1 million per year from its operating budget. Webster also linked the decision to the difficulty of recruiting international team members as visa approvals have become harder under changing immigration policies. The program had recently produced high competitive results, including winning a seventh national championship. Chess education leaders at the program level, including Susan Polgar’s Institute for Chess Excellence, disputed the university’s funding rationale, setting up potential scrutiny of how nontraditional co-curricular programs are funded, staffed, and managed under immigration constraints.