Last year the U.S. experienced something that hasn’t definitively occurred since the Great Depression: More people moved out than moved in. The Trump administration has hailed the exodus—negative net migration—as the fulfillment of its promise to ramp up deportations and restrict new visas. Beneath the stormy optics of that immigration crackdown, however, lies a less-noticed reversal: America’s own citizens are leaving in record numbers, replanting themselves and their families in lands they find more affordable and safe.
“Rich and privileged” is an overstatement. It is easier and cheaper to study in a good EU university than a US one, even for US citizens. Prospective students save money, and can stay after graduating.
For those for whom a study visa isn’t an option it is indeed somewhat more difficult, but as long as you have some skill that is in demand, it’s still far less difficult than Americans would imagine.