International students at the University of Mississippi talk about their experiences adjusting to campus life in an article in The Daily Mississippian, the student newspaper.

"The best thing about this university, for me personally, is the people," Kseniia Kataeva, an English major from Russia, said. Read the full story here. (November 2023)

According to the 2022 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) results, U.S. students dropped 13 points in math between 2018 and 2022. The U.S. historically lags other developed countries in math, though it does better than average in reading and science.

Ivana Saric explains in Axios. (December 2023)

Students from China retained their position in 2023 as the largest group of international students in the United States. Despite a slight dip, they are still the leading country of origin for foreign students pursuing an education in the U.S.

The State Department granted more than 600,000 international student visas in fiscal 2023, which ended in September, the highest issuance since fiscal 2017. Among these, 289,526 visas were awarded to Chinese students, a decrease of 560 students compared to the previous year, according to State Department data.

In a November call with reporters about the agency’s 2023 visa operations, Julie Stufft, deputy assistant secretary for visa services in the State Department's Bureau of Consular Affairs, said in fiscal 2024, they will be focusing on shortening wait times.

“We've driven down wait times in all categories worldwide, except for one, and that category is first-time visitors,” she said wait times for the 20-plus different types of visa categories, including students, are almost non-existent.

As of December 4, the current wait times for student visa applicants from China vary at U.S. consulates across China from three to eight days.

For all other countries, Stufft said wait times have “gotten so low that we don't necessarily have to track.”

For those who have gone through the process, like Shawn Zhan, an international student from China, the visa process is complex and “a lot of paperwork,” he told VOA.

“And just going through all the examinations, taking TOEFL, and also physical exams as well. Took a lot of vaccines. But I will say, it's worth the trouble if you're determined to come,” he said. The Test of English as a Foreign Language assesses the English language ability of a student who wants to enroll in an English-speaking university.

Zhan is in his last school year at the University of Maryland. He is graduating with a degree in economics and plans to stay in the U.S. for graduate school.

“I'm going to continue in the business school program in MSBA, the Master of Science in Business Analytics, for one more year,” he said.

According to the Open Doors 2023 Report on International Educational Exchange, the total number of students from China has decreased in the last three years mostly because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 2022-2023 school year, with 289,526 Chinese students, is the lowest number since the 2013-2014 academic year when 274,439 Chinese students attended U.S. colleges and universities. The highest enrollment number for Chinese students was 372,532 in 2019-2020.

“However, this year we did see some modest increases in graduate students, non-degree, and students on [Optional Practical Training],” said Mirka Martel, head of research, evaluation and learning at the Institute of International Education.

SEE ALSO:

International Students Returning to US Since Pandemic Decline

Optional Practical Training allows international students to temporarily work in a field related to their academic focus.

In an email to VOA, a State Department official said on background that they have seen a two-year rebound of all international students in the United States following the pandemic, with more than a 14% percent growth in new enrollments this past year.

The official also said the U.S. government is “committed to facilitating legitimate travel to the United States while maintaining high national security standards.”

Zhan said his first impression of the United States was “actually pretty nice,” and he had a host family who welcomed him.

“It definitely helped me a lot to adapt to the language, environment, and all that. … People are so nice,” he said.

A Modern Language Association report indicates the study of foreign languages at U.S. colleges plunged more than 16% between 2016 and 2021, and that has some observers worried.

Deborah Cohn at Ohio Capital Journal notes that without language skills, American students are at a disadvantage in the technological world, and the country is exposed to other security risks. (November 2023)

When schools close for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s, many international students find themselves alone on an empty campus. Many choose to explore, traveling to New York for New Year’s Eve or joining a Thanksgiving dinner hosted by faculty.

Gena Bennett and Dan Friedell report for VOA Learning English. (December 2023)

With housing expenses around Florida International University at or above $1,000 a month, and incoming freshman having priority for on-campus housing, the editorial board of PantherNow is raising questions about the university’s commitment to international students.

“The decision not to accommodate the housing needs of both upperclassmen and international students falls within the housing department but FIU as a whole must take better care of its international students,” according to the editorial board. (November 2023)

Harvard University and the California Institute of Technology are the most selective undergraduate programs in the United States, with each only accepting about 3% of applicants.

Ilana Kowarski and Cole Claybourn rank the schools for US News & World Report. (December 2023)

Most college students in the United States say they are happy with their college choices, with few saying they are “very unhappy.”

Forbes reported on the survey, which was part of a larger look at the satisfaction of college students from seven countries and regions. (November 2023)

Indigenous students from any of Wisconsin's 11 tribes will be able to attend the University of Wisconsin-Madison for free beginning next fall, Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin announced Monday.

The Wisconsin Tribal Education Promise program will use private donations and other internal funding to cover tuition, fees, housing, meals, books and other expenses for undergraduate students after they've applied any other scholarships and grants they've earned, Mnookin said at a news conference. Students must show they're enrolled tribal members to qualify.

Confirmed tribal members who pursue a law or medical degree will get their tuition and fees covered as well. The program will begin with the fall 2024 semester.

Colleges in several states have implemented special financial aid programs for Indigenous students. The University of California system, the University of Minnesota, the state of Michigan and the University of Maine system waive tuition and fees, for example. Oregon provides Indigenous students with grants that cover all remaining expenses after students use whatever other grants and scholarships they've earned, mirroring UW-Madison's initiative.

The Wisconsin program is similar to Bucky's Tuition Promise and Bucky's Pell Pathway programs. Bucky's Tuition Promise guarantees the university will cover tuition and fees for students from low-income households. Bucky's Pell Pathway program covers the full financial needs of students from low-income families through grants, scholarships and work-study opportunities.

In-state undergraduates currently pay about $28,000 per year to attend UW-Madison. That includes tuition, fees, housing and transportation. Tuition and fees total about $11,200.

Faith Helen, UW-Madison's director of student financial aid, said she didn't know how many students might take advantage of the Indigenous program. Mnookin said UW-Madison doesn't track Indigenous students' ethnicity, relying mostly on self-reporting. Right now, about 650 students identify as Indigenous and most are undergraduates, she said, but some students could be from outside Wisconsin or may not be confirmed tribal members.

The announcement comes less than a week after Universities of Wisconsin regents reached an agreement with Republican legislators to freeze diversity hires across campuses and shift at least 43 diversity positions to "student success" positions in exchange for money to fund employee raises and construction projects, including a new engineering building at UW-Madison.

Opponents accused the regents of selling out students of color and LGBTQ+ students. Regents insisted that the deal wouldn't slow inclusion efforts on campuses. Mnookin said Monday that the Indigenous coverage plan has been in the works for at least a year, but that it shows how UW-Madison remains committed to diversity.

Shannon Holsey, president of the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohican Indians, and Ho-Chunk Nation President Jon Greendeer, also attended the news conference. Holsey called the aid program "cycle-breaking" for Indigenous youth.

"It certainly is a significant and historic day," she said. "We are incredibly grateful to UW-Madison."

Greendeer said the program eliminates one of many barriers Indigenous students face when trying to obtain a college degree. He added that tribes sometimes frown upon college because students often leave their native culture behind and that tribal leaders need to do more to encourage Indigenous youth to seek post-secondary education.

"We have work to do," he said.

According to a report released last year by the Hunt Institute, a nonprofit that works to improve education policy, Indigenous students make up about 1% of the nation's post-secondary students.

The report cites academic preparation and the cost of college as two major barriers to Indigenous enrollment, noting that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health reported the median household income for Indigenous people was $49,906 in 2019. The median household income for non-Hispanic white households was $71,664.

New survey data has revealed that 2022-23 was a return to form for international education in the United States.

The growth was led by a 35% increase in students from India. The largest rate of growth for a region was that of sub-Saharan Africa, with Ghana joining the top 25 countries in sending students to the U.S.

Anayat Durrani explains in US News & World Report. (December 2023)

Washington and Beijing have become rival superpowers, but in the past, this didn’t deter China from being the largest source of international students in the U.S.

Now, Chinese and American citizens have more negative perceptions of one another, and the intellectual exchange is drying up.

However, leaders on both sides, including Chinese Premier Xi Jinping, have insisted that student exchanges are still valuable. Vivian Wang reports for The New York Times. (November 2023)

According to a new roundup from Sarah Wood in the US News & World Report, University of Chicago students have an average score of 1,545, just shy of the maximum 1,600.

While SATs are still a rite of passage for many American high schoolers, colleges are increasingly making the tests optional in their admissions process. (November 2023)