Examining Ohio S.B. 1’s Impact on International Students in U.S. Higher Education: A Critical Discourse Analysis

The current conservative wave of U.S. policies on higher education lacks the recognition of international students’ various backgrounds and ideologies, economic contributions, and nuanced experiences that would enrich college campuses. This paper provides a critical discourse analysis of anti-DEI rhetoric and legislation with Ohio’s higher education senate bill (S.B. 1 signed March 2025) as an exemplary case and with international students in mind. With this, I explicated some relevant legal issues of the bill (intellectual diversity, DEI programs, American civic literacy course, evaluating faculty’s role in maintaining a bias-free classroom, and partnership with People’s Republic of China) and their implications on freedom of expression and international student admissions, retention, safety, and student services. As a scholar from abroad, I aim to provide a voice, perspective, and analysis for international students in these politically charged times in U.S. higher education.