New Delhi —

For decades, families in India have dedicated years and much of their finances toward a singular goal: getting their children a degree from a US university. Despite the hefty cost – often bore in staggering loans – the risk was palatable because the reward was likely a career launchpad that no other country in the world could offer.

But seismic policy shifts under President Donald Trump – from his recently announced $100,000 fee for H-1B work visas to his administration’s tightening scrutiny on international students and immigration crackdown – have many of those students and their families questioning that longstanding thinking.

Avi, an 18-year-old from India’s Bihar state, said he had a nearly full scholarship lined up to study anthropology at Trinity College in Connecticut, but his US visa application was denied because he failed to demonstrate “ties that will compel you to return to your home country,” a letter from the US Embassy in New Delhi said.

“I will not apply to the United States anymore. The process feels very scary now, humiliating even,” said Avi, who asked to go by a nickname over fears of jeopardizing his future prospects.

He’s one of several prospective students who described to CNN carefully made plans falling apart because of a rejected visa application, while others already studying in the US told CNN they worry about future job prospects and getting trapped under a mountain of debt.

Puja, a law student in the US, told CNN she had to borrow more than $90,000 to finance her American studies, despite getting a “generous scholarship” from her university. CNN is not identifying Puja by her real name over fears her visa will be revoked.

“When we think of America, we think of a lot more freedom…a lot more space to talk, to think and grow,” she said.