The United States has long been a magnet for some of the world’s greatest minds. Immigrant scientists like Nobel laureates Albert Einstein, Enrico Fermi, and Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, made significant contributions to American science. Others, like Nikola Tesla, Sergey Brin, and Andrew Grove, have left a lasting impact through their inventions and entrepreneurship. Science writer Mindy Weisberger observes, “Throughout America's history, immigrants have played a vital part in shaping the country's growth and progress as a nation. They arrived seeking opportunities that were out of reach in their native lands; in many cases, they were escaping religious or ethnic persecution, or fleeing the horrors of war or natural disasters. Scientists of all types have numbered among those pursuing a new life in America. In doing so, they brought expertise that significantly contributed to progress in their respective fields, advancing scientific discovery in disciplines ranging from theoretical physics to pathology to biochemistry.”[1] The movement of talented professionals from one country to another has often been described as a geographic brain drain. For decades, that drain has brought great minds to U.S. shores. Underscoring that trend is the number of Nobel Prizes won by immigrants to America. Since 2000, immigrants have been awarded 30 percent, or 35 of 115, of the Nobel Prizes won by Americans in Chemistry, Medicine, and Physics.

A major source of attraction for the brain drain has been America’s universities, which have attracted both scientists and top students from around the world. As journalist Zach Schermele explains, “American colleges and universities have long been the most desired destinations for students from across the globe. Hundreds of thousands flock to the United States annually to enroll in undergraduate and graduate programs.”[2] In 2023/2024, more than 1.1 million international students studied in the United States. The Institute of International Education (IIE) reports, “International students accounted for 6% of the total U.S. higher education population and, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce, contributed more than $50 billion to the U.S. economy in 2023.”[3] Many of those students “remained in the United States to gain practical work experience through Optional Practical Training (OPT).” In addition to contributing to U.S. business and the American economy, Schermele observes, “For decades, international students have played an essential role at many U.S. colleges to support research, budgets and teaching programs.”

America Opens the Drain

The Economist notes that for decades, in the United States, there has been a “basic compact … between universities and the federal government: that taxpayers fund scientific research and provide grants for students from poor families, and in return, universities do world-changing research.”[4] Some of that research, the magazine notes, is conducted by foreigners whose “work ends up benefiting America.” It also insists that the freedom to conduct independent research “is one reason why America became the world’s most innovative economy over the past 70 years, and why Russia and China did not. ... Free inquiry is one of the cornerstones of American liberty. … ‘The free university’, said Dwight Eisenhower in his farewell presidential address in 1961, has been ‘the fountainhead of free ideas and scientific discovery’.” As universities lose millions of dollars in government grants, researchers seeking money and academic freedom are likely to look elsewhere. Suzanne Ortega, President of the Council of Graduate Schools, told Schermele, “The bottom line is students have choices of where to go, and if they choose to go to other nations that appear to be more welcoming, those nations’ gains will be the U.S.’s loss.”

University researchers aren’t the only scientists looking for alternative places to seek new knowledge. The U.S. Government itself is being drained of scientists and researchers. As the federal government brain drain began, one National Science Foundation scientist, Heather Masson-Forsythe, explained in a LinkedIn post, "Almost all of NSF’s budget is pushed out the door, put in the hands of researchers breaking scientific barriers in every sector, innovators building their local economies, and educators shepherding the next generation of scientists across the country, with impacts spanning the globe. There is nothing efficient about removing this depth of expertise from US federal service." Journalist Sam Stein reports, "The scope of [this brain drain] impact remains largely underappreciated. Experts say it can’t be measured in weeks or months or even in government services affected. Rather, it will be felt over the span of decades and defined in metrics like intellectual talent lost."[5]

Where will all that lost talent head? Hopefully, American companies will hire the talent; however, that is certainly not a sure bet. There seem to be plenty of countries waiting in the wings to attract that talent. Journalist Patricia Cohen reports, “Rival nations are hoping to pick up talent that has been cast aside or become disenchanted. … Education and business leaders in advanced countries and emerging economies have long fretted over a brain drain from their own shores. Now they are seizing a chance to reverse the flow.”[6]

Potential Economic Impact

The Economist concludes, “[The basic compact between universities and the federal government] has been the source of military as well as economic power. It has contributed to almost every technological leap that has boosted output, from the internet to mRNA vaccines and GLP-1 agonists to artificial intelligence. It has made America a magnet for talented, ambitious people from around the world. It is this compact — not bringing car factories back to the rust belt — that is the key to America’s prosperity.” Cutting research funds also hurts the administration’s goal of adding jobs to the U.S. economy. Freelance writer Catherine Arnst reports, “A 2023 report by the World Economic Forum (WEF) … determined that one job is created for every $25,000 spent in public funding on research and development. ‘Using these metrics, a $100 billion investment would in theory then generate 4 million new jobs,’ the WEF said. ‘The data across sectors and industries is clear: Government-funded R&D directly and indirectly fosters innovation and job growth.’”[7]

Arnst reports that another study concludes that the U.S. economy will be adversely impacted by reducing research funding. She writes, “A recent study by American University set out to calculate just how damaging the budget cuts would be, and determined that a 25% reduction in public funding of research and development would reduce GDP by 3.8%, more than $1 trillion, while decreasing annual tax revenue by 4.3% and making the average American approximately $10,000 poorer (in today’s dollars).”

A brain drain from the U.S. will also have an economic impact on other countries. The Economist reports that English-speaking countries and some European nations could be big winners if talented professionals and top students opt to leave or avoid the United States. They write, “Britain and Canada are the most attractive destinations. By our estimates 1.2m graduates living in America would up sticks for Britain if they could, and 1.1m would head north to Canada. Other anglophone countries, such as New Zealand and Australia, could also gain plenty of American talent, as could rich European nations such as Germany, Switzerland and Norway. Many graduates in America are also attracted to Mediterranean countries, like Italy, France and Spain.”[8]

Concluding Thoughts

The administration is seeking significant cuts in spending at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and at the National Science Foundation. These reductions could have national security implications. Sudip Parikh, president of the prestigious American Association for the Advancement of Science, told a congressional hearing, “If those dollar numbers … are real, I want to be really clear: we are no longer in a race with China on biomedical research. We will have lost that race.”[9] I assume the same will be true in many areas of research. Congress holds the purse strings to America’s future and will be rightfully blamed if America falters. However, it will be the administration which is held to account if the brain drain continues. You make America great by attracting the best minds, not turning them away.

Footnotes

[1] Mindy Weisberger, “11 Immigrant Scientists Who Made Great Contributions to America,” Live Science, 7 February 2017.

[2] Zach Schermele, “International college students bring billions to the US. Here's why that may change.” USA Today, 15 May 2025.

[3] Staff, “United States Hosts More Than 1.1 Million International Students at Higher Education Institutions, Reaching All-Time High,” The Institute of International Education, 18 November 2024.

[4] Staff, “MAGA’s remaking of universities could have dire consequences,” The Economist, 12 April 2025.

[5] Sam Stein, "The DOGE Brain Drain Has Begun," The Bulwark, 19 February 2025.

[6] Patricia Cohen, “The World Is Wooing U.S. Researchers Shunned by Trump,” The New York Times, 14 May 2025.

[7] Catherine Arnst, “The Trump budget cuts that could hurt the economy for a long time,” Quartz, 9 May 2025.

[8] Staff, “Which countries would benefit most from an American brain drain?” The Economist 11 April 2025.

[9] Arnst, op. cit.