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…
Detroit Man Freed From Prison With Help of Student Reporters
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…
Beijing Investment in Laos Sparks Chinese-Language Learning Boom
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…
Federal Aid Offered to Some International Students
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…
Chinese, Indian Students Make Up Half of Foreign Students in US
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…
Harassment Cases Revive Worries of Racism at Boston College
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…
Anxiety Lurks Behind Coronavirus Pandemic for Many Under 30
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,”…
American University Hopes to Fill Higher-Ed Gap in Iraq
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 Students Among Last on List for COVID Vaccines
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 Scholarship Paves Path for Refugees
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 Eases Immigration From Hong Kong
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 Plan Receives More Scrutiny
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 Pushes Free Access to Community College, Training
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…
Picking a University That Fits, Not Ranks
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…
CIA Seeks Younger Workforce at Spy Agency
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…
Turkey Detains Dozens More Over University Protests
Authorities in Turkey made dozens of new arrests in cities across the country Thursday, after downplaying international criticism — including U.S. condemnation — of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s crackdown on university student rallies. According to police, about 600 people have been detained since January 4 as protests spread in the capital, Ankara, and…
Justice Department Drops Yale Discrimination Lawsuit
The Justice Department on Wednesday dropped its discrimination lawsuit against Yale University that had alleged the university was illegally discriminating against Asian American and white applicants. The Justice Department noted in its filing that it was voluntarily dismissing the action, filed in October under the Trump administration. A judge must still sign off on it. Federal…
Academics Look to Restore Integrity to Science, Research
Since taking office in January, President Joe Biden has reaffirmed a national commitment to integrity in scholarship and research, appointing scientists to numerous leadership roles. Educators and experts applaud these appointments and say elevating intellectual integrity in research and science will take the combined effort of universities, industry and the public, too. Biden appointed Eric Lander —…
US Lawmakers Push Mental Health Days for Kids Amid Pandemic
When she was growing up, Sophie Corroon struggled to get through a ballet class or soccer tryout without having an anxiety attack.The idea of going to sleepovers or being home alone left her feeling panicked. Corroon’s anxiety grew even more during high school in Salt Lake City in the U.S. state of Utah when the…
Foreign Students View Capitol Riot With Fear
Shwe Einthe was about to leave her Washington apartment to grab a bite to eat when an emergency message blared on her cellphone, alerting her to violence at the U.S. Capitol building and a 6 p.m. citywide curfew. “My first thought was, ‘Oh, my God, this feels like dictator Myanmar, like I am back in…
Bernie Sanders’ Mittens, Memes Help Raise $1.8 Million for Charity
About those wooly mittens that U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders wore to the presidential inauguration, sparking endless quirky memes across social media? They’ve helped to raise $1.8 million in the last five days for charitable organizations in Sanders’ home state of Vermont, the independent senator announced Wednesday. The sum comes from the sale of merchandise with the…
SAT Cancels Tests in US and Abroad
The trend to deemphasize standardized tests in admissions decisions at U.S. colleges and universities moved ahead this week. The College Board, the organization that administers the tests, said it will discontinue some and improve others. Subject tests such as biology, chemistry and world history, for example, will be discontinued in the United States but not abroad.”We…
Nursing Students Train with Virtual Patients During Pandemic
Virtual patients are stepping in for real ones and allowing nursing students to continue their training during the pandemic. Tina Trinh reports. …
First Lady Jill Biden to Focus on Education Policy
Jill Biden, the wife of recently inaugurated President Joe Biden, has made it clear that education policy will be a priority for her in the White House. Biden, who has a doctorate in education, is familiar with life in Washington as her husband spent 36 years in the U.S. Senate and eight years as vice president…
Dr. Jill Biden Steps Into First Lady Role
Jill Biden, the wife of recently inaugurated President Joe Biden, has made it clear that education policy will be a priority for her in the White House. Jill Biden is familiar with life in Washington as her husband spent 36 years in the U.S. Senate and eight years as vice president under Barack Obama. VOA’s…
Meme of Senator Bernie Sanders Goes Viral Worldwide
Those who are not students of U.S. politics might be asking why the latest social media craze features an older gentleman in a dark puffer coat sitting in a folding chair and wearing large woolen mittens with a zig-zag pattern. Bernie Sanders, a U.S. senator from the small and often very cold New England state…
Meme of Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders Goes Viral Worldwide
Those who are not students of U.S. politics might be asking why the latest social media craze features an older gentleman in a dark puffer coat sitting in a folding chair and wearing large woolen mittens with a zig-zag pattern. Bernie Sanders, a U.S. senator from the small and often very cold New England state…
Meme of Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders Goes Viral
Those who are not students of U.S. politics might be asking why the latest social media craze features an older gentleman in a dark puffer coat sitting in a folding chair and wearing large woolen mittens with a zig-zag pattern. Bernie Sanders, a U.S. senator from the small and often very cold New England state…