The U.S. Department of Education recently unveiled new rules that could bar colleges and universities from withholding transcripts and academic credits to students who owe money.

Inside Higher Ed reports that the practice of withholding transcripts has come under scrutiny in recent years. (October 2023)

U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy kicked off a national tour highlighting mental health with a visit to Duke University.

Murthy was addressing what he described as the growing problems of loneliness and isolation on college campuses, according to a report from WRAL News. (October 2023)

Some colleges are helping students stay safe by providing free naloxone and fentanyl test strips to students to prevent drug overdoses.

Shiv Sudhakar of Fox News reports that the test strips can determine if recreational drugs are laced with fentanyl. (October 2023)

Mandi Kanhema, a student from Zimbabwe studying at the University of Oklahoma, says international students face hidden barriers and a lack of resources.

She talks about them here. (October 2023)

For the first time in 15 years, China is no longer the top source of international students in the United States.

The Chronicle of Higher Education reports that as of September, there were more than 320,000 active Indian student-visa holders, compared with 254,000 from China. (October 2023)

Isabella McNutt, a student from Budapest, Hungary, studying at the College of William & Mary in the U.S. state of Virginia, went to her first American football game at the school.

"It’s a surreal daydream of dressing up in gold and green and going to tailgates before herds of students flood the stadium to see a series of fumbles, sacks and, hopefully, a touchdown or two," she writes in The Flat Hat, the student newspaper. Read her story here. (October 2023)

Kae Takazawa, a student from Japan studying at El Camino College in California, found adjustment to campus life a rough road.

Financial issues, language barriers and health problems made for a rough start.

Takazawa writes about the experience in The Union, the school's newspaper. Read it here. (October 2023)

The recent mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine, sent college students in the area into lockdown.

One of them was Alan Wang, a 21-year-old student from China who studies at Bates College. He spoke to Diego Lasarte of The New Yorker about the experience and how it’s changed his opinion of the U.S. (October 2023)

Activists, donors, students and the media are reading university statements carefully. With reputations and donations on the line, presidents are struggling to find the right words. Nick Anderson of The Washington Post has more. (October 2023)

David Obiukwu, a student from Nigeria studying at Allen Community College in the U.S. state of Kansas, talks about his experiences as an international student and gives advice on adjusting to college life.

Read his comments in The Allen Flame, the student newspaper, here. (October 2023)

Princeton student Ukyung (Heidi) Nam, a first-year student from South Korea, says that the school's International Orientation program needs to do a better job of educating students on race in America.

"IO [International Orientation] shouldn’t stop at teaching about topical and logistical issues, such as visas and paid work," she writes in The Daily Princetonian, the student newspaper. "It must integrate an actual session on race and the history and culture of racism in the United States into its programming." Read her opinion piece here. (October 2023)

Purdue University Fort Wayne has enrolled 182 international students from 22 countries, making it its largest group of first-year international students ever.

Inside Indiana Business has the story. (October 2023)

U.S. News & World Report takes a look at EducationUSA, a network of advising centers supported to the U.S. State Department. Its mission is to help students who want to study in the U.S.

According to the story, EducationUSA has some 430 advising centers in more than 175 countries and territories. The centers can help students find the best school for them and help with the admission process. Read the full story here. (October 2023)

Kharbarhub.com, a news site from Nepal, walks international students through the process of getting a U.S. student visa in this article.

It includes information about applying and interviewing for a visa. Read the full story here. (October 2023)

As colleges become battlegrounds for U.S. politics, and face declining enrollments, educators are worried that they have lost the American public’s trust. One way to fix this might be to expand access to online degrees.

Michael D. Smith, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University, argues that academics should embrace digitization as a means of saving the institutions they work for.

Read his take in the Chronicle of Higher Education. (October 2023)