USA

The Student Exchange and Visitor Programme (SEVP) arm of US government has quelled fears about the accreditation of US "combined IEPs" – intensive English language programmes operating from university campuses – by providing a detailed list of FAQs online.

Mitt Romney, the Republican’s US presidential candidate, has called for all foreign students who obtain Masters or Doctorate degrees in maths, science or engineering at US universities to be granted permanent residency in the country. His position mirror's that of Obama's, suggesting new policy is increasingly likely.

Leading language schools in California are considering lobbying action over new state licensing regulations which they say are unfair. Recent rules classing them as "vocational education" mean duplicate state-level accreditation is required plus contributions to a tuition recovery fund their clients may not easily be able to access.

A heated debate in the US congress is taking place over how to pay for a cut to student loan interest rates. New borrowers could pay on average US$1,000 more in interest on loans that would be used to finance study abroad, and Obama is urging congress to act.

The American Association of Intensive English Language Programs (AAIEP), which represents nearly 300 English schools across the US, unveiled its cool new brand logo last week at the NAFSA conference in Houston...

In the USA, government agency SEVP is creating panic, stating that on-campus IEPs (Intensive English Programs) may not be able to operate unless their "host" institution has specific ESL-accreditation. Otherwise, the IEP may not be eligible to enrol international students until they gain such certification, which could take over a year.

Continuing its campaign to attract more of the best and brightest international students, the USA has expanded the list of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) degree programmes that qualify eligible graduates for extended post-study work experience, or "Optional Practical Training".

The US State Department has announced major reforms to tackle abuse of its J-1 Summer Work and Travel Program, which brings over 100,000 students to the US each year. Working in "goods-producing" industries or in a job with primary hours from 10pm to 6am will be banned, since an investigation found the scheme had been abused by wily employers.

Indian education ministers toured community colleges in the US and attended the American Association of Community Colleges’ (AACC) annual convention last week, to gain insight on the American community college sector.

IEFA.org, a financial aid website, reports excellent reception from industry organisations and universities since its re-launch three weeks ago. The site was revamped to offermore functionality in its scholarship search and additional resources. The site's focus is US student traffic, inbound and outbound.

US University Tours, which runs fam tours of US universities for prospective international students, has signed agreements with two agencies to promote its latest package. Vietnamese-Russo agency Access American Education (AAE) and India’s Sonya International Education Centre (SIEC) will promote the US firm’s new Open Tours offer in their local markets.

The USA is recognising the role that international students play in developing the economy, and it has launched a "Study in the States" initiative to encourage more of the “best and brightest” science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) students to study and lawfully remain in the country. This means a promise to review regulatory policy, streamline visa applications and expand..

An American college organisation that had previously advocated a ban on the payment of commission to overseas education agents as “student recruiters” has softened its stance, calling for a delay of up to two years on clarifying its Statement of Principles while a commission looks into the issue. The board of the National Association for […]

Libyan students who were recipients of scholarships while studying in the USA have been left in limbo since unrest in Libya began and their funding dried up. The US government has announced special measures to alleviate their position – chiefly, allowing them to work and reducing their course load at the same time. “We want […]