North Korea billed the United States $2 million for the medical care of a U.S. college student who was detained in Pyongyang in 2016 and returned to the United States comatose more than a year later, according to reports in The Washington Post.

Sources told the Post the main U.S. envoy sent to retrieve the unresponsive Otto Warmbier signed an agreement to pay the medical bill at the direction of President Donald Trump. The bill went to the Treasury Department, but it was not clear whether the administration paid the invoice

"We do not comment on hostage negotiations, which is why they have been so successful during this administration," said White House press secretary Sarah Sanders in a message on social media.

As recently as Sept. 30, Trump asserted that his administration paid "nothing" to get American "hostages" out of North Korea, the paper reported.

Warmbier was detained in January 2016 for allegedly stealing a banner in a North Korean hotel. Warmbier was 21 years old when he was arrested. After appearing in court and delivering an emotional apology that was videotaped and widely shared on social media, he was convicted in March 2016 and sentenced to 15 years of hard labor in a North Korean prison.

The mainland China travel company that arranged Warmbier's trip, Young Pioneer Tours, specializes in "destinations your mother would rather you stay away from," according to its website. It describes itself as "safe and fun." Photos from the company's website and Facebook page show selfies of happy, smiling, young Westerners in Pyongyang.

North Korean officials said Warmbier fell into a coma the night he was sentenced in March 2016, the paper stated. Doctors have not identified the cause of his brain damage, and say they did not see evidence of his being beaten. Warmbier died six days after he was flown back to the United States.

At their last meeting in Hanoi in February, President Trump said he accepted North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's claim not to have known what had happened to Warmbier in prison, despite the case being extraordinarily sensitive.

"I will take him at his word," Trump said.

Warmbier's father, Fred, said he was unaware of the hospital bill. He told the Post it sounded like a "ransom" for his late son.

Following Otto Warmbier's sentencing, the North Koreans did not tell U.S. officials until June 2017 that he had been unconscious for 15 months. The paper said news of Warmbier's condition sparked a frantic effort to get him home. The effort was led by the State Department's point man on North Korea at the time, Joseph Yun, the paper reported.

It’s tough to gain admission to Yale University, and it’s getting even tougher for international students as standout students from around the world set their sights on Yale.

The Yale Dale News, the campus newspaper, takes a look at the situation here.

Read the full story here.

Ruth Chane, a computer science major from Ethiopia, writes about her experiences settling into student life at Whitman College in the U.S. state of Washington.

"The community at Whitman College made sure I felt welcomed even before I stepped foot on campus," she says.

Read her essay here.

In The Student Life, the student newspaper for the Claremont Colleges, a consortium of five liberal art colleges and two graduate schools in Claremont, California, student Rochelle Lu writes about readjusting to her Shanghai home after spending a semester in the United States.

Read the full story here.

Cedarville University in the U.S. state of Ohio says it’s got more than 140 international students representing 44 countries.

Here, the school interviews Jonathan Sutton, director of international student services. He talks about his job and the opportunities for international students on campus.

Read the full article here.

Morehouse College, a private, historically Black liberal arts college in the U.S. state of Georgia, offers a guide for international students interested in attending the school.

Among the tips to apply and thrive at Morehouse:

• Take advantage of the school’s orientation program
• Turn to the school’s Center for Academic Success for tutoring, support and more
• Immerse yourself in campus life via clubs and societies

Read the full article here.