A Reddit post that went viral this week warns international students to 'stop thinking like it's 1999' and to abandon plans to study in America unless their tuition is fully covered by scholarships, arguing that today's US degrees no longer justify the cost. The anonymous author claims that soaring international fees, shrinking research budgets and a hostile job market have stripped away much of the real value once attached to an American qualification.
The post has struck a nerve on the platform. It follows a highly contentious debate weeks earlier over whether US universities now function more as backdoor immigration routes than as academic institutions, with users arguing that the Optional Practical Training visa system and H‑1B lotteries have become the main selling points for costly degree programmes marketed to overseas applicants desperate for American careers.
