US visa uncertainty weighs on Columbia’s journalism MA

Columbia University’s journalism school in New York will pause admissions to its Master of Arts (MA) programme for one year, dean Jelani Cobb told Reuters, following the school’s announcement on October 1, 2026. Changes to US President Donald Trump’s visa policies contributed to the decision by sharply reducing international applications, four people familiar with the matter said.

Columbia’s announcement said the pause would allow a “critical evaluation” of the MA programme, without detailing the reasons. Cobb said the degree, introduced in 2005, needed to be reworked because the “journalism marketplace looked different” when it began.

“The dynamics of visas and all those other kinds of things were part of the consideration,” Cobb told Reuters. Columbia’s journalism department also needed time to work through changes to the programme, he said.

Reuters said the connection between US visa policies and Columbia’s admissions pause, as well as the one-year duration, had not previously been reported.

Visa uncertainty deters Columbia applicants

International students account for roughly half of Columbia’s MA enrolment, according to four people familiar with the matter who requested anonymity to discuss admissions. Visa difficulties and uncertainty over immigration policy had discouraged overseas applicants, the sources said, without disclosing the size of the application decline.

Columbia is home to one of the leading US journalism schools and administers the Pulitzer Prizes, regarded as the profession’s highest US honours.

The Trump administration temporarily stopped new student-visa appointments in 2025 before restarting them with expanded screening of applicants’ online activity. Officials said the checks were necessary to identify potential threats to US national security.

Indian journalist Kaushik Raj, who was admitted to Columbia’s separate Master of Science (MS) programme in Data Journalism, was refused a US student visa in 2025, Reuters reported, citing The Intercept. According to that report, his rejection letter said he had not demonstrated sufficiently strong ties to India to establish that he would return after completing his studies.

Court blocks new limits on students’ and journalists’ stays

A US rule introduced in 2026 sought to limit how long foreign students and journalists could remain in the country without applying for extensions. The planned restrictions were blocked before taking effect in September by a federal judge who described the rule’s rationale as “exceptionally weak”. The court postponed implementation pending resolution of the legal challenge. 

Columbia was also among the universities targeted by the Trump administration over pro-Palestinian campus protests in 2024. The university agreed in 2025 to pay more than US$200 million to settle federal investigations and restore most of its suspended federal funding.

Columbia’s MS programmes continue as MA is reviewed

Columbia is continuing its MS programmes while pausing MA admissions. The smaller MA programme serves journalists in mid-career seeking specialist knowledge in areas including politics, business and science, while the MS is aimed at students with less journalism experience.

Lower enrolment had already prompted changes to Columbia’s MA programme, including the combination of science and politics seminars during the 2024–25 academic year, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters.

Columbia also announced a two-year, part-time online MS programme on October 1. Cobb said the online launch was unrelated to the MA admissions pause because the programmes serve different groups of students.

Reuters suggested that an online format could offer a way to enrol international students without visas. Columbia’s current eligibility rules, however, list US citizens, US permanent residents and people living in the US on valid non-student visas. Columbia Journalism School

Columbia considers funding changes as journalism jobs shrink

Columbia is seeking a new fundraising strategy for its MA programme as news organisations confront financial and technological pressures.
Artificial intelligence could reshape how journalism is produced and how audiences find it, while declining search traffic is adding pressure to news organisations’ businesses.

At least 3,434 journalism jobs were cut across the UK and US in 2025, according to a Press Gazette tracker cited by Reuters. The BBC and CBS News have also announced redundancies in 2026.

Some journalists criticised Columbia’s MA programme on social media on October 1 as too short and too expensive. Columbia estimates the cost of attending the nine-month course at US$120,000 before financial aid, while its year-long MS in Data Journalism costs about US$180,000. Columbia Journalism School

Financial assistance makes tuition less of a deterrent because most students receive support, two people familiar with Columbia’s MA programme told Reuters. Across the journalism school, about 80% of students receive financial aid, including grants, loans or scholarships from institutional, federal and private funds, according to Columbia’s website. 

Alongside the new fundraising strategy, Cobb said Columbia was considering a part-time version of the MA programme.