Recent changes in Cuba could result in a shift in student mobility patterns related to the island, and today on ICEF Monitor we’ll look at some of the new regulations, take a snapshot of the country’s education system, and try to determine what the future holds.
More mobility to and from Cuba
Perhaps the most important change, one impacting the mobility of all Cubans, has been the rescinding of the permiso de salida stating that citizens could not freely leave the country. Previously, Cubans had to go through a long, expensive process to obtain permission to travel, but as of mid January 2013 most will need only a Cuban passport and a visa from the destination country.
Cubans may now remain abroad for up to 24 months without having to renew their papers. But while movement off the island will involve jumping through fewer bureaucratic hoops, this does not mean explosive growth for Cuba’s sending market, as travel remains economically impossible for the vast majority of the population.
As an example of how thin the trickle of students from Cuba is nowadays, consider what has happened with Russia. Before the breakup of the Soviet Union, tens of thousands of Cubans studied in Soviet universities, but in 2012-13 only four Cubans studied in Russia due to the high cost of air travel. Read more...

The United States has much to offer in terms of diverse and highly recognized colleges and universities, and the experience of studying at any of them can be life changing. For many students around the world, studying in America is a dream – and with the right preparation, it can become a reality.
It can take almost a year to go through the process of passing entrance exams like the SAT for undergrads and the GRE for grad students, as well the TOEFL for nonnative English speakers, applying to colleges and getting accepted before you finally land in the U.S. Read more...