More International Students Eligible for US STEM Work Program

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The United States will add eight new fields of study for international students looking to acquire practical work experience in the country, the Department of Homeland Security announced last week. The eight new fields of study include: landscape architecture; institutional research; mechatronics, robotics and automation engineering technology/technician; composite materials technology/technician; linguistics and computer science; developmental and adolescent psychology; geospatial intelligence; and demography and population studies. The new fields will all be added to the science, technology, engineering, mathematics Optional Practical Training, or STEM OPT, program. Announced in a July 12 Federal Register notice, the additions will provide international students withmore

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Can Higher Ed Convince the Public That Sciences and Humanities Are Worthwhile?

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In the United States, degrees are usually split between academic ones (English, math, physics, dance) and professional ones (law, nursing, business). The public can often be skeptical of academic degrees because they seemingly don’t lead directly to a career. But Rick Van Kooten, the dean of arts and sciences at Indiana University, writes in The Hechinger Report that the sciences and humanities are essential in a world fueled by AI artificial intelligence and automation. (June 2023) …

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How Are ‘Talent Visas’ Used to Lure International Students to the US?

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Foreign students educated in the United States are often bright, hardworking and eager to land a job. But the backlog for U.S. work visas has created an opportunity for other countries to snag talented workers. Britain, Canada and Australia offer streamlined visas for graduates with in-demand skills or prestigious degrees. As one immigration lawyer in London put it: “We are the beneficiaries of the failures of the U.S. system.” Jon Marcus of The Hechinger Report has more. (June 2023) …

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What Will Biden’s New Plan Mean for Borrowers Set to Begin Paying Back Their Student Loans?

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Following the Supreme Court’s decision to effectively kill Biden’s earlier student debt forgiveness proposal, the White House is trying again to ease the burden on those carrying student loans using a different legal approach. Biden’s original plan would have canceled up to $20,000 in federal student loans for 43 million people. Of those, 20 million would have had their remaining student debt erased completely. With repayments set to begin in October, many borrowers are wondering if they still have to pay. Here’s what to know about where the new Biden plan stands. What is the new plan and how ismore

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Founder of Student Aid Startup Frank Appears in Court

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The founder of student aid startup Frank shook her head repeatedly Thursday as a prosecutor claimed that she tricked J.P. Morgan Chase into paying $175 million for her business by lying about its client base. Assistant U.S. Attorney Micah Fergenson described criminal charges against Frank founder Charlie Javice and codefendant Olivier Amar, the company’s chief growth officer, to a federal judge at a pretrial hearing during which each of them entered pleas of not guilty to an indictment unveiled Wednesday. Fergenson said the deal two years ago was consummated only after Javice and Amar “created a fake data set” inmore

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Chinese Student Hurt in Campus Shooting to Sue Michigan State U.

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A Chinese student injured at a shooting at Michigan State University intends to sue, MLive.com reports. Yukai “John” Hao alleges that the school “acted with gross negligence and failed to take reasonable steps to protect students and visitors on its campus from harm,” the site reports. The shooting left him paralyzed from the chest down, his lawyers say. Three students were killed and five more were injured Feb. 13 when a 43-year-old man allegedly came on campus and opened fire. (June 2023) …

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Applying to US Universities: What You Need to Know

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The Teen Mag has a guide for international students considering applying to U.S. schools. The article says it “aims to provide a comprehensive overview of key considerations for international students applying to U.S. universities.” Topics covered include scholarships, safety on campus and immigration and visa regulations. Read it here. (June 2023)    …

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Are the Humanities Really Dying?

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The U.S. media has run several stories recently on the “death of the humanities,” with undergraduate enrollments dropping by more than 50% at some schools. But Karin Beck, an associate dean at Lehman College in New York City, says this is misleading. Elite schools’ humanities programs are declining – but her school, which mostly serves low-income and first-generation students, is graduating more humanities majors than ever before. She argues that culturally sensitive and rewarding humanities classes can captivate anyone, even students who are assumed to lack interest. Weigh her arguments in Inside Higher Ed. (June 2023) …

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What’s It Like to Find a Job Using OPT?

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The United States gives international students the option to work for a year after graduating, without receiving a work visa. But the process to apply is long, difficult and carries risks. Sarah Dittenber of Idaho Ed News profiled undergraduates who are beginning new jobs and contributing to Idaho’s economy, using the Optional Practical Training (OPT) program. (June 2023) …

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US Refusing More Student Visas, Report Says

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ICEF Monitor, a dedicated market intelligence resource for the international education industry, has worrying news for international students seeking visas to study in the U.S. It says student visa refusals soared for 2022, with more than 1 in 3 students failing to get a visa. “This is both a notable increase in the overall refusal rate for F-1 applicants, and also considerably higher than the average rate for other non-immigrant visa classes,” ICEF Monitor notes. It takes a closer look at the trend here. (June 2023) …

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Nigerian Student in New York Joins Ocean Expedition Near Greenland

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A Nigerian student working toward a doctorate in geological sciences at the State University of New York, Binghamton, has joined an ocean expedition near Greenland and Iceland. “I was captivated by the potential for groundbreaking research and knew immediately that I wanted to be part of such a significant scientific endeavor,” Halima Ibrahim told BingUNews. She’ll work as a ship-based sedimentologist examining sediment drilled from the ocean floor. Read the full story here. (June 2023) …

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International Students Worry AI Detectors Wrongly Flag Them as Cheaters

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Some universities are using AI detectors to root out cheating. But international students worry that they’ll be wrongly targeted by the algorithms. A recent study from Stanford University underscores the concern, finding that AI detectors can be “unreliable and biased against non-native English writers,” the Financial Express reports. Among other things, the study found that non-native speakers’ use of translation and grammar tools can wrongly indicate the work was generated by AI. Read the full story here. (June 2023)  …

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Can US Reverse College Enrollment Declines?

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Due to a shrinking youth population, the dislocations of the pandemic and rising tuition costs, fewer Americans are choosing college. However, it remains a good choice – graduates earn more and even live longer. Katharine Meyer of the Brookings Institution offers recommendations, such as financial aid for older people and partnerships with local businesses and welfare offices. (June 2023)  …

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How Are US-China Tensions Affecting Student Exchange?

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There are currently only about 350 Americans studying in China, down from 15,000 a decade ago. Meanwhile, there are over 300,000 Chinese nationals studying in the U.S. The mismatch is due to growing mistrust in the U.S. of China’s government, as well as the impact of China’s “zero-COVID” strategy on foreign travel – and it has consequences for the future. “It just seems like China is knowing much more about the rest of the world, but the U.S. is not getting to know much more about what’s going on outside of the states,” said one student at New York University’smore

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Will Men Become an Underrepresented Group on Campus?

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Women make up 58% of American undergraduates, and many colleges are struggling to attract male applicants and get them to graduate on time. The gender gap is sharpest among minorities, rural communities and low-income students. Many men struggle to ask for help and believe they “do not belong” in college. Andrew Smith has more for VOA Learning English, based on reporting by Matt Krupnick of the Hechinger Report. (June 2023)   …

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