Elitist private universities have the underlying responsibility to make international students feel equally supported with regards to their financial capabilities compared to their domestic counterparts. According to an article by Dive Brief; two-thirds of colleges plan to grow efforts to reach foreign students and expand their global presence.
Private schools within the United States do not grant international students scholarships as the students are not eligible to receive the U.S. federal aid or loans. In the case of USC, a leading private research university, even the “USC need-based” financial aid, which is separate from federal financial aid, is not offered to international students. As stated by NAFSA: Association of International Educators, scholarships for undergraduate studies are available only to U.S. citizens and permanent residents. As written by Dive Brief, if colleges are in an effort to increase internationalization within their student body, the equality of financial aid treatment should undeniably be a part of the process.
In regards to incoming international students, how are they ever supposed to feel welcomed by the institutions they attend if there is no financial incentive from both the university and the country of residence? This leads to a lasting disconnect these students feel towards a place that is foreign to them to begin with.
Extortion of the common international student is being conducted through enticing said student to apply and attend the private institution, only to never be shown support in return by the private institution. The average age of an incoming college freshman is 18 years old. When an international student begins attending university in the U.S, they most likely are not aware of the employment restrictions, obstacles towards making an income legally, and the limited opportunities for internationals specifically.
Perhaps it comes as a surprise to the domestic student that the average international student mentally converts the price of something as small as a bottle of water from dollars to their national currency, only to notice how little their buying power is. The water bottle in this scenario applies to every purchase that a college student is expected to make, regardless of how big or small. In the case of the international student, these purchases start to evoke feelings of guilt and anxiety.
According to Dive Brief, since the start of the pandemic, 47% of the universities within the U.S. became determined to accelerate their increase in international student acceptances. Expectedly, only 28% of these universities actually set forth towards increasing globalization within their student body.
The younger generation undergoing education is the sole determinant of the future of the U.S. With that being said, if the pivotal player within the future of the U.S. is not well rounded, diverse, and extensively cultured, then it will all go to waste. This goal of globalization on a college campus is exceptionally dependent on the financial support offered to international students, with the critical questions here being: is there any support offered to begin with? Once the office of admission within private universities becomes aware that the compared international students are offered substantially less aid opportunities than the domestic students, then there is a new socio-political question which begs to be answered… Why would an international student feel welcomed enough to build a life in the U.S. post-graduation if their undergraduate experience did not support them back in any way? On top of the uncertainty these students already face involving visa issues, language barriers, and lack of familial support, now they must search for accessibility of finances.
The U.S. needs to recognize that if an international student makes the effort to join American society, then the goal should be to make life easier for this group of migrators as they, in return, will make American society better. According to NAFSA, International students enhance the U.S. economy by contributing 39$ billion to the national economy and supporting more than 400,000 jobs.
With all that being said, in an environment where financial aid is already limited and there are a lack of employment opportunities for international students to earn income, university becomes even more overwhelming for young students. If anything, internationals are constantly reminded of their nonresident alien identification, which long term codifies a evident disparity between them and domestic students. A disparity so great in fact, that by the end of their undergraduate experience the international sees no chance nor benefit in striving to exist in the U.S. In the end, unless private universities propose a financial aid system that treats domestic and international individuals on the same scale, the U.S. will pay a far greater price in the future when international students seek education in other countries.
As a fellow international student, sometimes it feels like they are deliberately making it difficult. Apart from the financial and job problems you mention in the post, I also experienced a lot of obstacles when trying to do research in the U.S. For example, summer research experiences is important for graduate school application, at least for math. However, most of the summer research programs, or REU, only accept U.S. citizens, so all international students have find and compete for the few programs that is open to everyone. This is absurd considering international students made up a large portion of STEM researchers in the U.S.
I think you a have an important point here with regards to the immersion of international students on US university campuses. Due to the extensive amount of money international kids bring to the economy - "39$ billion", like you said - these students should be advised and mentored at top-tier levels. The hardships in finding working visas post-grad is a huge issue and universities should be helping students receive this visa AT A BARE MINIMUM.