WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) - With the presidential inauguration around the corner, some colleges across the country have issued travel advisories, urging international students to arrive before President-elect Donald Trump takes office Monday.

Last month, just before winter break, Wichita State University’s international office sent this notice.

International Education encourages international students and scholars to consider returning to the United States prior to the presidential inauguration day of January 20, 2025, if they are planning on traveling internationally during the winter break. Please note this is not a requirement or mandate from Wichita State, nor is it based on any current U.S. government policy or recommendation. However, given that a new presidential administration can enact new policies on their first day in office (January 20), and based on previous experience with travel bans that were enacted in the first Trump Administration in 2017, International Education is making this advisory out of an abundance of caution. We are not able to speculate on what a travel ban will look like if enacted, nor can we speculate on what particular countries or regions of the world may be affected.

Uncertainty is common after any election. We will provide updates to the community as we have more information to share. Avoid making decisions based on social media, news reports, or rumors. Questions should be directed to International Student Services at iss.wichita.edu.

12 News reporter Ana Valdez spoke with students about their reaction to the message, with many sharing uneasy feelings.

“It kinda puts us on the edge because I’ve been here for one and half years, and it sucks being away from my parents,” said Muhammed Ghais Saleem, an international student at WSU. “I’ve had them by my side all my life, came to university, I have not seen them. So if the travel ban does come into action, it is going to hurt me a lot.”

After seeing the travel advisory, several students altered their plans to visit family, worried about potentially being denied reentry into the U.S.

“I was possibly planning to go back home to the UAE for a week or two, but then, since that (travel advisory) came, I guess the university saved me,” said Saleem.

But the travel advisory is just the beginning of their concerns.

Most international students are granted a one to three-year work permit after graduation. Some students are worried the Trump administration could change that.

“It is that uncertainty that is troubling me a bit right now because I graduate in a year and a half, during the middle of Donald Trump’s term in office,” said Dion Samuel, an international student at WSU.

With an uncertain future ahead, students said they are working to create a safe space to support incoming international students, regardless of the potential changes that might be enacted once President Trump takes office.