For decades, Western superpowers such as the USA, Canada, etc., have all been world leaders in hosting international students for educational programmes. Ivy League dreams, sororities, and EU-funded fellowships promised not only education but also exposure. This was viewed as the ticket to global reverence for kids from the Global South for many years. However, by 2025, this dream is slowly disintegrating with the rise of casual racism, visa struggles, and institutions claiming diversity while ostracising those who simply follow their own cultures and deviate from the Western norms set by the country. Students are increasingly choosing universities in Malaysia, Turkey, China, and Latin America—countries rich in culture and identity—marking the beginning of an intellectual order that is not dictated by the West.
Across all Western nations and universities, students of colour have reported not only minor or major forms of racism but also inadequate measures against the perpetrators. The same applies to faculty, which is diverse only for the brochures, while real decision-making and power lie in the hands of white Westerners. Furthermore, cultural beliefs such as Islam, Indonesian, Chinese, etc., are consistently sidelined, leaving students from these backgrounds feeling intellectually isolated.
Moreover, students from the Global South, specifically Muslim students, are facing visa delays, deportation threats despite having a student visa, and intense scrutiny at borders. Policies that once benefited international students have been revoked and replaced with less beneficial counterparts, creating more hurdles. Students are left unsure whether a protest, side job, social media post, or a simple comment could result in their deportation.
For many lower- or middle-class families, sending children abroad can become a financial crisis, as tuition inflation, the cost of living, and the rise in the American dollar make attending Western universities difficult. Scholarships are almost always granted to students who do not need them, and financial aid simply results in a tonne of loans that are hard to pay back. Universities in Turkey, China, and Malaysia are now providing quality education, housing, and post-graduation opportunities; hence, there is an increase in students going there.
This all leads not only to a change in direction but a change in destination, as we are finally moving away from the Western-dominated education sphere and creating the foundation for a complex academic future—one not dominated by the West but shaped by other nations stepping in to protect their values, cultures, and identities.
