Federal Aid Offered to Some International Students

International students are not often eligible for federal student aid, and typically pay full tuition and fees for their college and university education that can cost more than $100,000 a year.  “The fact that I most likely will not be able to go to university because only two of the ones I’m applying to offer financial aid…

Chinese, Indian Students Make Up Half of Foreign Students in US

Students from China and India comprise half of all international students in the U.S., propelled by increased wealth in those countries and drawn by potential employment in America, education and immigration experts told VOA.“The ratios are due largely to external demographic, geopolitical, and economic factors,” said Rachel Banks, senior director of public policy and legislative…

Harassment Cases Revive Worries of Racism at Boston College

Students are demanding a stronger response from Boston College after two recent cases in which white students were accused of harassing Black and Hispanic students in a campus dorm. The incidents, which took place three days apart, have revived longstanding concerns about racism on a campus where most students are white and just 4% are…

Anxiety Lurks Behind Coronavirus Pandemic for Many Under 30 

Pushed to the back of Gen Z anxieties by the COVID-19 pandemic, a looming stressor for many people younger than 30 remains climate change, say experts.    “Natural disasters precipitated by climate change, including hurricanes, heatwaves, wildfires, and floods can lead to … increased rates of depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, and other mental health disorders,”…

American University Hopes to Fill Higher-Ed Gap in Iraq

From afar, the sprawling complex of the newly inaugurated American University in Baghdad appears like a floating mirage.  Encircled by blue waters of a human-made lake, former Saddam Hussein-era palaces have been converted to university departments promising a U.S.-style education to meet the needs of Iraq’s growing youth.  Higher education has lagged in Iraq since…

College Students Among Last on List for COVID Vaccines

College and university students are low on the list to receive COVID-19 vaccines, according to recent estimates.Unless students are classified as essential workers — such as medical, nursing, medtech or student teachers — or have a health condition — such as human immunodeficiency virus or cancer — they are not likely to receive the COVID-19…

Columbia Scholarship Paves Path for Refugees

Columbia University in New York is providing scholarships to help students who have been displaced from their homelands due to war, violence, hunger and natural disasters. For VOA, Keith Kocinski reports from New York City on one woman’s journey from refugee to student at one of America’s most prominent universities.Camera: Nick Jastrzebski & Keith Kocinski …

Canada Eases Immigration From Hong Kong

Canada is easing the requirements for some students from Hong Kong to stay in Canada, a reaction to crackdowns by China in the former British colony.Starting this month, the government will allow work permits to be granted to Hong Kong residents who have graduated from a Canadian university, or a similar school, in the last…

Student Loan Forgiveness Plan Receives More Scrutiny

Student loan forgiveness sounds like a good deal to many debtors, but since President Joe Biden suggested some form of federal student loan forgiveness, experts and debtors have been debating what that should look like. “There isn’t an American Dream anymore, especially if you went to college and had to borrow for it,” said Tracy…

Jill Biden Pushes Free Access to Community College, Training 

Jill Biden is pushing free access to community college and training programs, saying the schools will be an important part of Biden administration efforts to rebuild the economy.A longtime community college professor and advocate, the first lady said people struggling to get by during the coronavirus-induced economic slump need access to these schools.”We have to…

Picking a University That Fits, Not Ranks

University rankings are popular, and often a starting point for many students when choosing a college or university, but do they guide applicants to the schools that fit their academic and career goals best?For Jerome Dela Rosa Lara, a Harvard University sophomore studying social anthropology and comparative study of religion, the school’s high ranking sparked…

CIA Seeks Younger Workforce at Spy Agency

The faces are younger, maybe Hispanic, maybe Middle Eastern — definitely diverse — and show a Central Intelligence Agency trying to recruit a new generation of team members.  “We offer a unique environment to work with smart, focused people who have a broad range of backgrounds, interests, experiences, and perspectives,” says the CIA website. “Our…

Turkey Detains Dozens More Over University Protests

Authorities in Turkey made dozens of new arrests in cities across the country Thursday, after downplaying international criticism — including U.S. condemnation — of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s crackdown on university student rallies.       According to police, about 600 people have been detained since January 4 as protests spread in the capital, Ankara, and…

Justice Department Drops Yale Discrimination Lawsuit

The Justice Department on Wednesday dropped its discrimination lawsuit against Yale University that had alleged the university was illegally discriminating against Asian American and white applicants. The Justice Department noted in its filing that it was voluntarily dismissing the action, filed in October under the Trump administration. A judge must still sign off on it. Federal…

Academics Look to Restore Integrity to Science, Research

Since taking office in January, President Joe Biden has reaffirmed a national commitment to integrity in scholarship and research, appointing scientists to numerous leadership roles.  Educators and experts applaud these appointments and say elevating intellectual integrity in research and science will take the combined effort of universities, industry and the public, too.    Biden appointed Eric Lander —…

US Lawmakers Push Mental Health Days for Kids Amid Pandemic

When she was growing up, Sophie Corroon struggled to get through a ballet class or soccer tryout without having an anxiety attack.The idea of going to sleepovers or being home alone left her feeling panicked. Corroon’s anxiety grew even more during high school in Salt Lake City in the U.S. state of Utah when the…

Bernie Sanders’ Mittens, Memes Help Raise $1.8 Million for Charity

About those wooly mittens that U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders wore to the presidential inauguration, sparking endless quirky memes across social media? They’ve helped to raise $1.8 million in the last five days for charitable organizations in Sanders’ home state of Vermont, the independent senator announced Wednesday. The sum comes from the sale of merchandise with the…

SAT Cancels Tests in US and Abroad

The trend to deemphasize standardized tests in admissions decisions at U.S. colleges and universities moved ahead this week. The College Board, the organization that administers the tests, said it will discontinue some and improve others. Subject tests such as biology, chemistry and world history, for example, will be discontinued in the United States but not abroad.”We…

First Lady Jill Biden to Focus on Education Policy

Jill Biden, the wife of recently inaugurated President Joe Biden, has made it clear that education policy will be a priority for her in the White House. Biden, who has a doctorate in education, is familiar with life in Washington as her husband spent 36 years in the U.S. Senate and eight years as vice president…

Meme of Senator Bernie Sanders Goes Viral Worldwide

Those who are not students of U.S. politics might be asking why the latest social media craze features an older gentleman in a dark puffer coat sitting in a folding chair and wearing large woolen mittens with a zig-zag pattern.  Bernie Sanders, a U.S. senator from the small and often very cold New England state…