International Students and Disadvantage: How Admissions Professionals Can Contribute to Global Student Mobility

By Sean Nyhan. “Why is it that internationals are always at a disadvantage?” This was the question posed by a prospective student from India, reflecting on the application process to American universities. Written in the MIT “admissions blog,” the student’s full comment will offer more perspective:
“In my case, the testing cost alone is more than $230, which is a huge cost…as I’m in India, there’s an additional…‘security surcharge to test in India and Pakistan’ of $22. And I’m not exactly rich. Add to that, some universities don’t even offer application fee waivers for international applicants. So why is it that internationals are always at a disadvantage?? Fortunately MIT offers application fee waivers for international students.”
International student testimonies, like the above, make it clear that costs incurred during the application process are sometimes not routine. Application fees, standardized testing, and the translation and mailing of transcripts can stretch students beyond financial comfort.
Like MIT, the University of Chicago also allows international students to apply for an application fee waiver, “If your family makes less than or around $75,000 a year” – well beyond average annual household income in the developing world. However, they are a minority, and even the notion that international students can face financial disadvantage shares no consensus among admissions professionals. In contrast to MIT’s practice, for instance, the neighboring University of Massachusetts approaches international students much differently:
“Since international students must verify that they have adequate finances to pay for their education, requesting a fee waiver indicates that they do not have adequate finances and therefore would not be able to enroll. For this reason, we do not waive application fees for international students.”
As these conflicting policies make clear, not only does no standardized system exist to exempt international students from application fees – similar to the “application fee waiver” developed by NACAC and College Board for disadvantaged American students – but vastly different perceptions of America’s international student community exist as well. Read more...