The visas of seven international students at the University of Chicago have been revoked, school officials confirmed to the Tribune Wednesday, joining a growing number of international students at colleges across the state and country who have had their visas canceled by the Trump administration.

U. of C. officials said in an email they informed three current students and four recent graduates that the federal government had terminated their F-1 visa and that their Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVIS) status had also been terminated.

“The University of Chicago is committed to continued deep engagement and active exchange with international students, scholars, and visitors,” spokesperson Gerald McSwiggan said in a statement. “The university has a long history of supporting America’s position as a magnet for talented people from across the globe, and we will continue to work to assist the members of our international community.”

U. of C. is just one of several universities in Illinois where international students have had their visas revoked under President Donald Trump’s escalating crackdown on universities.

A spokesperson for Southern Illinois University Edwardsville confirmed to the Tribune that eight students — three undergraduate students and five graduate students on optional practical training visas — had their visas revoked last Friday. The Daily Egyptian, the student newspaper for Southern Illinois University Carbondale, reported last month that an international student at the university had their visa revoked. The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign also sent a message to their student body last Friday that students at U. of I. were affected by the widespread visa terminations.

In the letter, U. of I. Chancellor Robert Jones and Provost John Coleman said the federal government does not proactively notify the university of no-contact terminations, adding that students whose immigration status has been terminated should “consider making plans to exit the United States immediately” as the visa terminations do not carry a grace period.

The letter encouraged students to speak with their departments about alternative ways of completing their degrees, including online learning.

U. of I. declined to provide more details on which students were impacted out of privacy concerns, but said that they are “working directly with affected students to help them connect with appropriate resources and understand their options.”

McSwiggan said the Office of International Affairs (OIA) identified the U. of C. terminations during an audit of SEVIS records.

SEVIS, an online system maintained by the Department of Homeland Security, is used to monitor the records and information of international students on F-1 or J-1 visas and keep track of students whose visa status is being challenged.

U. of C. officials said OIA has offered to connect the affected individuals with immigration attorneys.

McSwiggan did not clarify when the visas were revoked or when students were notified.

Over the past week, nearly 300 full-time international students across the country were informed that their visa status had been revoked, many if not all with no explanation and no prior notice, making them targets of deportation and detainment.

College officials and university communities are left to unpack what is happening and how best to advise its students.

Faculty and students at U. of C. told the Tribune that some of the visa revocations appear to be connected to minor infractions such as parking tickets or traffic violations, though school officials could not confirm. In Florida, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported this week a student from Colombia was taken into custody by immigration agents after he was stopped by Gainesville police with an expired registration and driver’s license.

Other visa terminations are related to participation in pro-Palestinian protests, reports show.

Some institutions have shared publicly that students have lost visas but many colleges and universities have yet to disclose the number of students.

The negative effects of the nationwide student visa revocations have been far-reaching, said Ida Salusky, research associate professor at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

Salusky, who works with undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral students, said her students are scared about their visa status, citing the case of Rumeysa Ozturk — a Turkish international doctoral student at Tufts University who was taken by immigration officials near her home last month.“The images of the young woman from Tufts in Boston, you know, basically being grabbed off the street. That’s terrifying for any student, for any young person, especially for somebody who is on a visa,” Salusky said. Students are unable to fully focus on their work, causing them to be less productive, she noted.

“Everybody talks about and this administration is talking about, ‘We want the people to be productive. We want our dollars to be well spent.’ But that is hard to accomplish for anyone when you’re in constant fear about whether you will be able to remain in the country to do the work or to pursue the degree and the studies that you came here to do,” Salusky said.