About $40 billion has been included for higher education and student loan relief in the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill signed into law by President Joe Biden on Thursday.Any federal student debt forgiven after December 31, 2020, and before January 1, 2026, will not be taxed as income, as it was prior to this legislation. “While…

The U.S. Department of State has released the names of scholars who have been selected for the coveted Fulbright Scholarships, with an emphasis on the colleges and universities that produced the most successful applicants.  “When I received my letter, I was in the car with my friend, and I screamed for probably a full minute,” said…

When Peter, a Muslim student from China, graduated from Texas A&M University in December 2020, he thought he would be working at a Texas consulting firm by early January.   Instead, the international STEM graduate is sitting in his apartment in Houston, waiting for the results of his Optional Practical Training (OPT) application. OPT is…

One year after many universities and colleges in the United States shut their doors and transitioned to virtual learning in response to COVID-19, the ripple effect continues to impact higher education. VOA’s Jesusemen Oni has more. …

In a first step toward reversing a contentious Trump administration policy, President Joe Biden on Monday ordered his administration to review federal rules guiding colleges in their handling of campus sexual assaults. In an executive order, Biden directed the Education Department to examine rules that the Trump administration issued around Title IX, the federal law that…

For her studies in quieting wind turbines and making other forms of renewable energy more competitive, a University of California-Merced student from Germany has been awarded the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship to study at Oxford University in the U.K. In October, Selina Brinkmann will start four years of study, all expenses paid, courtesy of the Rhodes program…

Three Tibetan teenagers are missing and one is hospitalized with two broken legs after reportedly failing to register a WeChat text group chat with local authorities, according to a Tibetan advocacy group.   The teens, who have been named as Dadul, Sangye Tso and Kansi, live in the eastern area of Tibet governed as the Qinghai Province…

President Joe Biden is signing two executive orders Monday to create a Gender Policy Council and review Trump-era changes to college campus sexual assault policies. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki and Chief of Staff to the First Lady Julissa Reynoso watch as Executive Director of the Gender Policy Council Jennifer Klein delivers remarks during a…

Peering out into the void of online learning, both teachers and students often face a virtual classroom of black squares and static photos of classmates.  Two Cornell University instructors have discovered that most students don’t like to appear on video during online classes because they are concerned about how they look. Mark Sarvary and Frank Castelli…

Forty academics have signed a letter in support of a Harvard University professor being prosecuted by the U.S. government on charges he lied about his connections with the Chinese government. Seven Nobel Prize winners are among the dozens of scientists asking why the university is not defending Charles Lieber against the charges.In our open letter, we…

Bolivia’s special crime unit is investigating the circumstances of the death of at least seven students, who fell from their fourth-floor university building after a metal railing collapsed. Five other students were seriously injured in Tuesday’s incident at the El Alto University near the capital, La Paz. Video footage prior the incident showed a crowd of students…

The Senate voted Monday to confirm Miguel Cardona as education secretary, clearing his way to lead President Joe Biden’s effort to reopen the nation’s schools amid the coronavirus pandemic.Cardona, 45, a former public school teacher who went on to become Connecticut’s education chief, was approved on a 64-33 vote.He takes charge of the Education Department…

Hate-fueled attacks on Asian Americans spiked across major U.S. cities last year — in some cases by triple-digit percentages — even as overall hate crimes declined, newly analyzed police department statistics show.Moreover, the alarming trend has continued into this year, experts say.There were 122 incidents of anti-Asian American hate crimes in 16 of the country’s most…

After big economic hits to the U.S. higher education sector over the past few years, experts say recruiting international students will be crucial to the industry’s recovery.International student enrollment in U.S. universities has stalled and retreated in the past three years because of high costs, barriers to immigration and employment pathways, political rhetoric and perceived…

On February 18, Kenneth Nixon walked out of a Michigan state prison and into his mother’s arms for the first time in more than 15 years.The reunion was bittersweet: Sentenced to life without parole at age 19, Nixon spent his twenties fighting to overturn a double-murder conviction for a crime he says he did not commit.In…

A Chinese language education boom is underway in Laos as Beijing’s increasing investments in the Southeast Asian country point to a future where Chinese companies dominate local commerce, sources in Laos told RFA.Chinese investment in Laos was a mere 1.5% of its total foreign direct investment in 2003, but Beijing accounted for 79% of FDI…

International students are not often eligible for federal student aid, and typically pay full tuition and fees for their college and university education that can cost more than $100,000 a year.  “The fact that I most likely will not be able to go to university because only two of the ones I’m applying to offer financial aid…

Students from China and India comprise half of all international students in the U.S., propelled by increased wealth in those countries and drawn by potential employment in America, education and immigration experts told VOA.“The ratios are due largely to external demographic, geopolitical, and economic factors,” said Rachel Banks, senior director of public policy and legislative…

Students are demanding a stronger response from Boston College after two recent cases in which white students were accused of harassing Black and Hispanic students in a campus dorm. The incidents, which took place three days apart, have revived longstanding concerns about racism on a campus where most students are white and just 4% are…

Pushed to the back of Gen Z anxieties by the COVID-19 pandemic, a looming stressor for many people younger than 30 remains climate change, say experts.    “Natural disasters precipitated by climate change, including hurricanes, heatwaves, wildfires, and floods can lead to … increased rates of depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, and other mental health disorders,”…

From afar, the sprawling complex of the newly inaugurated American University in Baghdad appears like a floating mirage.  Encircled by blue waters of a human-made lake, former Saddam Hussein-era palaces have been converted to university departments promising a U.S.-style education to meet the needs of Iraq’s growing youth.  Higher education has lagged in Iraq since…

College and university students are low on the list to receive COVID-19 vaccines, according to recent estimates.Unless students are classified as essential workers — such as medical, nursing, medtech or student teachers — or have a health condition — such as human immunodeficiency virus or cancer — they are not likely to receive the COVID-19…

Columbia University in New York is providing scholarships to help students who have been displaced from their homelands due to war, violence, hunger and natural disasters. For VOA, Keith Kocinski reports from New York City on one woman’s journey from refugee to student at one of America’s most prominent universities.Camera: Nick Jastrzebski & Keith Kocinski …

Canada is easing the requirements for some students from Hong Kong to stay in Canada, a reaction to crackdowns by China in the former British colony.Starting this month, the government will allow work permits to be granted to Hong Kong residents who have graduated from a Canadian university, or a similar school, in the last…

Student loan forgiveness sounds like a good deal to many debtors, but since President Joe Biden suggested some form of federal student loan forgiveness, experts and debtors have been debating what that should look like. “There isn’t an American Dream anymore, especially if you went to college and had to borrow for it,” said Tracy…

Jill Biden is pushing free access to community college and training programs, saying the schools will be an important part of Biden administration efforts to rebuild the economy.A longtime community college professor and advocate, the first lady said people struggling to get by during the coronavirus-induced economic slump need access to these schools.”We have to…

University rankings are popular, and often a starting point for many students when choosing a college or university, but do they guide applicants to the schools that fit their academic and career goals best?For Jerome Dela Rosa Lara, a Harvard University sophomore studying social anthropology and comparative study of religion, the school’s high ranking sparked…

The faces are younger, maybe Hispanic, maybe Middle Eastern — definitely diverse — and show a Central Intelligence Agency trying to recruit a new generation of team members.  “We offer a unique environment to work with smart, focused people who have a broad range of backgrounds, interests, experiences, and perspectives,” says the CIA website. “Our…