Latest news with #FurmanUniversity
Time of India
5 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
How Trump's visa crackdown is leaving Indian students in limbo
How Trump's visa crackdown is leaving Indian students in limbo Francesca Maglione & Nic Querolo Bloomberg Aug 6, 2025, 12:49 IST Even after the US lifted its nearly month-long pause in visa interviews in mid-June, international students, especially Indians, are seeing fewer appointments, delays and visa rejections International students, especially those from India, are struggling to secure visas as the Trump administration aggressively moves to curtail immigration, threatening college budgets across the US. Arizona State University's president said 1,000 incoming international students still need visas, a hit to the school's budget he estimates would be in the 'tens of millions of dollars'. Furman University in South Carolina is already expecting lower enrolment in the fall due to the situation abroad. Other schools are providing contingency plans, like allowing their international pupils to start their first semester in London.
Japan Times
5 days ago
- Business
- Japan Times
Trump's visa havoc strands students weeks before classes start
International students are struggling to secure visas as the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump aggressively moves to curtail immigration, threatening college budgets across the United States. Arizona State University's president said 1,000 incoming international students still need visas, a hit to the school's budget he estimates would be in the "tens of millions of dollars.' Furman University in South Carolina is already expecting lower enrollment in the fall due to the situation abroad. Other schools are providing contingency plans, like allowing their international pupils to start their first semester in London. Trump's attacks on higher education and immigration are colliding, prompting warnings from both private and public colleges that the policies will chill enrollment. Adding to an already tough fiscal backdrop, a dip in international students threatens to further erode schools' bottom line, as most foreign students pay full tuition. Even after the U.S. lifted its nearly monthlong pause in visa interviews in mid-June, international students are seeing fewer appointments, delays and additional vetting. With the start of the academic year just weeks away, they're running out of time. At Cornell University, Wendy Wolford, vice provost for international affairs, said she's "concerned about students facing difficulty securing their visas in a timely fashion.' About a quarter of Cornell's student body is international. First-time foreign student enrollment on U.S. campuses is projected to fall by about 30% this fall, according to preliminary forecasts by the trade group NAFSA: Association of International Educators and JB International. That translates to an approximately $2.6 billion decline in tuition revenue across campuses, according to Shorelight, an international education organization, which also estimates enrollment declines in that range. At one of the most selective private universities in the country, officials have noticed a significant slowdown in visa issuances in India. Since the end of June, seven times as many students from China have received visas as those from India, according to an official at the school, who asked not to be named given the political sensitivities for colleges right now. 'Significant drop' One family in New Delhi had been preparing their daughter to study in the U.S. for years before she committed to attend Indiana University Bloomington. She got a visa appointment before the Trump administration's pause, but at the interview, she was handed a 214(b) rejection letter. That meant the officer wasn't convinced the applicant had sufficient ties to return to India, even though her parents lived there. When they tried to book another appointment, none were available. Their new plan, unless a U.S. visa comes through, is for their daughter to attend the University of Edinburgh. The mother, who asked not to be identified as they're still hoping to apply for a U.S. visa, described the experience as a nightmare. Visa interview scheduling is "dynamic,' a State Department spokesperson said, adding that applicants can request expedited appointments that are considered on a case-by-case basis. Students walk on the campus of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts | REUTERS The visa delays have been more disruptive than the pandemic, said Arizona State University President Michael Crow. The school estimates about 1,000 international students set to attend haven't received their visas, representing about a third of incoming international scholars. An admissions official at a small private college, who asked not to be named because of the political environment, said that by Aug. 1, there are usually only one or two students who have not been able to secure their visas. But this year, around eight to 10 students are still waiting for visas. For a college with less than 100 international students per year, those numbers are significant, that official said. More scholars have also chosen to withdraw from the college, opting for schools in the U.K. or Asia, the official said. Furman University expects a decline in new student enrollment in fall 2025 with a "notable' factor being a "significant drop in international student enrollment, stemming from ongoing changes and delays in the U.S. student visa process,' the school said in bond documents last month. As of the end of July, Furman is expecting 562 first-time freshmen, compared to 613 last fall, according to a spokesperson. The Trump administration announced a pause in interviews for student visas in late May, not long after most colleges' commitment deadlines. On June 18, the State Department said it would resume interviews, while also ordering reviews of applicants' social-media profiles. "The process of unpausing wasn't just turning on a faucet again,' said Tom Dretler, the chief executive officer of Shorelight. "It was country by country, city by city, consulate by consulate, and in some areas it's barely been more than a drip.' Top market abroad Last month, members of Congress sent a letter to the State Department asking how it will address a visa backlog that threatens to block the enrollment of Indian students at U.S. colleges and universities this fall. India is a top market for international students in the United States. On June 30, the U.S. embassy in India posted on their website that "additional or new appointments for student or exchange visitor visa applications will be extremely limited until further notice.' In Gurgaon, near New Delhi, Adarsh Khandelwal, co-founder of college counseling firm Collegify, said that this year he has seen virtually no visa appointments open up for his clients. That's caused at least 60% of his students who were set to start in the fall to turn to their plan B, which includes either staying in India or attending college in other countries. He said he had students with acceptances at colleges such as Boston University, Northeastern and Emory, who have not been able to secure visas. "This has never happened when it comes to the U.S.,' he said. "We always let the U.S. be the first choice and the last choice.' Some schools are making backup plans. The University of Arizona is piloting a London site for those who are unable to enter or stay in the country. A spokesperson for Northeastern in Boston said it will provide ample opportunities for remote learning or for attendees to enroll in its London or Canadian campuses if needed. And the University of Toronto's Munk School may host Harvard Kennedy School graduate students if they can't remain in or reenter the United States. Daniel Santos, co-founder of college admissions company Prepory, said the impact may continue in fall 2026 as high schoolers abroad look to study elsewhere. "They lost faith in the U.S. higher ed system and don't feel necessarily welcomed,' he said.
Bloomberg
6 days ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Trump's Visa Havoc Strands Students Weeks Before Classes Start
International students are struggling to secure visas as the Trump administration aggressively moves to curtail immigration, threatening college budgets across the US. Arizona State University's president said 1,000 incoming international students still need visas, a hit to the school's budget he estimates would be in the 'tens of millions of dollars.' Furman University in South Carolina is already expecting lower enrollment in the fall due to the situation abroad. Other schools are providing contingency plans, like allowing their international pupils to start their first semester in London.
Washington Post
28-07-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
There is no reading crisis in the U.S. Here's what's really happening.
Paul L. Thomas is a professor of education at Furman University and author of 'How to End the Reading War and Serve the Literacy Needs of All Students.' After her controversial appointment, U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon posted this apparently uncontroversial claim on social media: 'When 70% of 8th graders in the U.S. can't read proficiently, it's not the students who are failing — it's the education system that's failing them.'
Yahoo
29-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
A new Miss SC teen has been crowned. Here's who won
The new Miss South Carolina's Teen is a graduate of Porter-Gaud High School in Charleston and will study psychology at Furman University in the fall. Crowned at Township Auditorium Friday night, Tess Ferm, 18, aspires to become a child life specialist. Her community service Initiative is to increase awareness of food allergies, which she has, along with her brother. 'We ate meals at home to avoid cross-contamination reactions, so I developed my love of cooking from watching my dad prepare meals,' she said in her biography for the competition. She also said she does a 'somewhat convincing Jennifer Coolidge impression.' As her talent, she sang 'Tomorrow' from 'Annie and has had leading roles in high school presentations including, Sandy in 'Grease' and Sophie in 'Mamma Mia.' She is also the founder of the Kindness Counts Club at her school. On her bucket list for the next five years are to visit a Buddhist Monastery, become a motion capture actor and to perfect walking backwards for giving college tours. She won a $12,500 college scholarship and will compete in the Miss America Teen competition. First runner up was Greer High School's Teen Lilykate Barbare, second was Columbia's Teen Logan Gabrielle Wells, third Greenville County's Teen Madison Harbin and fourth runner up was Greenwood's Teen Cleo Floyd-Johnstone. The other finalists were Clover High School's Teen Paris Dellinger, Dutch Fork's Teen Ava Sain, Newberry's Teen Gracie Arnold, Summerville's Teen Lola Gantt, Union County Fair's Teen Zahmariya Littlejohn and Upstate's Teen Katelynn Ochterbeck. Miss Teen preliminary talent winners Thursday night were first Tess Ferm, second Cleo Floyd-Johnstone, and third LilyKate Barbare. Miss Teen preliminary fitness award winners were first Zahmariya Littlejohn, Miss Union County Fair's Teen; second LilyKate Barbare, and third Logan Wells. Preliminary evening gown award winners were first Logan Wells, second Cleo Floyd-Johnstone, and third Tess Ferm. The Miss South Carolina competition will be held at Township Auditorium in Columbia, beginning at 8 p.m. Saturday.
