A doctoral student from Indonesia studying community well-being at Harvard University hopes to use her research to aid her country. Fairuziana, who uses a single name, is studying emotion regulation in youth mental health interventions in low- and middle-income countries. Eventually, she’d like to reduce symptoms of depression, anxiety in psychosis in youth. Read the…
Scholarships for International Students Wanting Master’s Degrees in the US
Keystone Masterstudies, which specializes in student recruitment, higher education marketing and enrollment management, has a roundup of scholarships for international students seeking a master’s degree in the United States. They include university scholarships, scholarships funded by governmental bodies and external organizations, and major-specific scholarships. Get the full list here. (July 2023) …
Race-Based Affirmative Action Is Over; Legacy Admissions Might Be Next
The U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled as unconstitutional affirmative action — the practice of giving underrepresented racial groups a leg up in admissions. Now Wesleyan University, a prestigious liberal arts school in Connecticut, is voluntarily getting rid of legacy admissions, which give an advantage to people whose relatives previously attended the college. Many schools are…
Could America’s AI Industry Exist Without International Students? Probably Not
According to new research from the National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP), 42% of major AI companies in the United States have a founder who came to the U.S. as an international student. Furthermore, nearly 4 out of 5 of these companies were founded by immigrants or the children of immigrants. And of all the…
International Students Want to Work, But Visa Rules Can Get in Their Way
Foreign undergraduate students at the University of Missouri hail from Afghanistan, India and South Korea. This year, some have been accepted into study abroad programs in Iraq and internships with local crisis shelters. But student visa rules forbid first-year students from working off-campus. And even when they are eligible, the permit process is complex and…
Coming to America: What International Students Can Expect at Customs
Telangana Today has an article detailing what international students can expect on arrival in the U.S. It includes what documents U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials will review and what information your passport stamp should contain. Read the full article here. (July 2023) …
Transition Tips for International Students Bound for US
All Together, a blog for the Society of Women Engineers, has transition tips for international students studying the U.S. Among them: Make copies of important documents. Explore interests outside the classroom. Do what you can to stay safe. Read the entire blog post here. (July 2023) …
The Biden Administration’s New Student Loan Plan Offer
After a more ambitious relief plan was rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court, the Biden administration has announced it will forgive $39 billion in debt, held by about 804,000 people. Get the specifics in this explainer from Katherine Knott of Inside Higher Ed. (July 2023) …
Colleges Could Recruit Using Generative AI
Himanshu Barthwal is the CEO of Admission Overseas, a startup whose platform helps international student recruiters make recommendations. The recruiters can use it to guess which schools will be a good academic and financial fit for a student. The program is already being used to fill vacant healthcare positions in Canada, where Barthwal lives. Read…
Protesters in Miami Blast Florida’s Black History Teaching Standards
Dozens of teachers, students and labor leaders marched to a Miami school district headquarters Wednesday to protest Florida’s new standards for teaching Black history, which have come under intense criticism for what they say about slavery. The protesters who marched to the School Board of Miami-Dade County objected to new curriculum standards that, among other…
Majority of Ivy League Schools Have Women Presidents, Yet Only a Third of US Colleges Overall Do
Six of the eight Ivy League schools, which include Harvard, Yale, Princeton and Columbia, now have women presidents. Yet, according to the American Council of Education, just 32% of all U.S. colleges do, even though a majority of collegiate-level students are women. But do students care about the president when choosing a school? And which…
US Universities Launch Partnership to Elevate Free Speech
The presidents of 13 universities in the United States are elevating free speech on their campuses this academic year, as part of a new nonprofit initiative announced Tuesday to combat what organizers call dire threats to U.S. democracy. The Campus Call for Free Expression will take different forms on different campuses. The campaign, created by…
International Students Prefer a Third of Their Classes be Online
Despite the end of COVID-19 restrictions in many places, international students say they’d prefer that about a third of their classes be online. Students say they appreciate the flexibility, and students whose first language isn’t English can benefit from being able to rewatch a lecture afterward. However, 25% of students said they would like all…
Biden Administration Urges Colleges to Pursue Racial Diversity Without Affirmative Action
New guidance from the Biden administration on Monday urges colleges to use a range of strategies to promote racial diversity on campus after the Supreme Court struck down affirmative action in admissions. Colleges can focus their recruiting in high minority areas, for example, and take steps to retain students of color who are already on…
Collegiate Athletes, Including International Students, Can Receive Scholarship Aid
In U.S. collegiate sports, schools sometimes give full scholarships to students who commit to a team, including international ones. Some sports are dominated by international students, such as women’s tennis: 66% of top-tier Division I players are not from the U.S. However, there is mounting domestic pressure for schools to focus on financial need, and…
International Student Bank Accounts in the US: A Guide
TimesHigherEducation.com takes a look at the different kinds of bank accounts in the U.S. and their pros and cons for students. It also tells students how to open a bank account in the U.S. and what documents they’ll need to do it. Get the details here. (July 2023) …
7 Key Tips for Indian Students in the US
American Bazaar Online takes a look at some of the potential pitfalls for Indian students in the U.S. and explains how to deal with them. Among them: handling health care in the U.S., pursuing employment and understanding the structure of U.S. universities. (July 2023) …
How to Plan for College Tuition
With President Biden’s student loan forgiveness program shelved, many families are wondering whether school is affordable. Ron Lieber and Tara Siegel Bernard, financial aid experts, answer reader questions on international tuition, savings plans, merit scholarships and more. See the questions – and ask one of your own – in The New York Times. …
Differences Between Colleges and Universities for International Students
Different countries use different names for education institutions, which can lead to confusion. For example, in Spanish-speaking countries, colegio means high school, so many international students ignore U.S. schools with “college” in the name. In the U.S., colleges are usually smaller and focused on undergraduates, while universities are larger and offer both graduate and undergraduate…
Judges Halt Rule Offering Student Debt Relief for Those Alleging Colleges Misled Them
A federal appeals court on Monday halted a rule from President Joe Biden’s administration that could make it easier to obtain student loan debt relief for borrowers who say they were victims of misleading information about the quality of education they would receive. At issue is a rule broadening existing policy ending the debt of…
Where US Schools Are Recruiting International Students — Report
According to a recent report, U.S. colleges are most interested in international students from India, with 57% prioritizing undergraduate outreach there. Outreach to Vietnam, South Korea and Brazil are next. For graduate students, India is again in first place, but China, Nigeria and Vietnam are also attracting strong interest. As U.S. enrollments decline, colleges are…
Conservative Groups Sue to Block Biden Plan Canceling $39 Billion in Student Loans
Two conservative groups are asking a federal court to block the Biden administration’s plan to cancel $39 billion in student loans for more than 800,000 borrowers. In a lawsuit filed Friday in Michigan, the groups argue that the administration overstepped its power when it announced the forgiveness in July, just weeks after the Supreme Court…
With Race-based Affirmative Action Out, College Admissions Essays Could Offer Insight
The U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled affirmative action, or preferential admissions for underrepresented groups, unconstitutional. However, the court ruling said applicants can still mention their background and life experiences in a personal essay. Scott Jaschik of Inside Higher Ed writes that discussing race, whether as “discrimination, inspiration or otherwise,” is acceptable; going back to the…
Public Investment Seen Aiding Struggling College Students in Getting Degree
At CUNY, the public university system in New York City, officials found that investment in students increases their chances of graduating by almost double. CUNY’s highly successful ASAP program gives at-risk students financial aid, unlimited public transit access and intensive one-on-one advising. The city believes it’s a win-win, and claims the return is three times…
US Colleges Consider How to Maintain Diversity on Campus After Affirmative Action Ruling
The U.S. Supreme Court struck down the use of affirmative action in college admissions, ruling that consideration of a student’s race to help decide who is admitted to higher education institutions was unconstitutional. Yet there are other ways to keep college in reach for everyone: one is to admit the top graduates of every high…
Colleges Consider Guidance on Hosting Foreign Cultural Centers
Many countries practice cultural diplomacy by funding research centers at colleges, such as Germany’s Goethe Institutes or the U.K.’s British Council. But in the U.S., China’s Confucius Institutes have been accused of stealing scientific research and intimidating campus critics of Beijing. A new report from the National Academy of Science, Engineering, and Medicine provides recommendations…
Princeton Student Pleads Guilty of Joining Mob’s Attack on Capitol
A man who was a Princeton University student when the FBI arrested him on charges related to the U.S. Capitol riot pleaded guilty on Monday to joining a mob’s attack on police officers during one of the most violent clashes on January 6, 2021. Larry Fife Giberson was on the front lines when rioters attacked…
Mother, 71, and Daughter, 50, Earn Degrees a Month Apart
Yvonne Spann Sowers and her daughter Eyamba Sowers Scott say their thirst for lifelong learning brought them back to the classroom after fulfilling careers in public service. “I still felt like I needed to learn some more,” said Spann Sowers. They chose to become “non-traditional learners,” and despite age, self-doubt and medical issues, both succeeded.…