I cherished my first year at UNC — drinking from the Old Well on FDOC, making friends from all over the world and engaging in a variety of student organizations. But after March, it quickly became apparent that I would no longer be able to continue my journey at UNC.
The ongoing pandemic has had a catastrophic impact on businesses all over the world. In March, the travel-based company my father worked for had to significantly reduce operations, and he was let go. At the same time, my father tested positive for COVID-19 and had a long and difficult recovery journey.
Immediately, I knew that my family would no longer be able to afford to send me to UNC. After reaching out to the financial aid office, I was notified that they could not do anything for me. While this may seem puzzling, it all came down to one thing — being an international student.
International students hail from all over the world, adding an essential layer of diversity to UNC. We have to pay the full $56,000 cost of attendance, since we are ineligible for financial aid and most scholarships. On top of this, international students like myself have to work harder to get into UNC; UNC’s in-state acceptance rate is much higher than its out-of-state and international one. Despite my hard work in the past year — achieving a near-perfect GPA, working as a research assistant to two different professors and serving as an Honor Court counsel — the University could offer me no financial assistance.
All this prompts the question: why would international students even bother to leave their countries and study in the United States if they face extra hurdles and have to pay more? The main reasons are the higher quality of education that American universities have to offer and the opportunity to end up working in the world’s strongest job market. Unfortunately, COVID-19 has drastically altered the balance of trade-offs.
I know many international students who have had to make difficult decisions over the summer regarding their return to campus or continuing enrollment at American colleges. Even though I knew I could no longer afford UNC and had to transfer out, transfer application deadlines for colleges in my home country had long passed. Luckily, after explaining my circumstances to one university admissions office, they extended the deadline and I was eventually accepted.
Due to all the financial and visa ambiguity associated with COVID-19, the American Council on Education has predicted a 25 percent drop in international enrollment this fall. This not only decreases diversity on campuses, but significantly affects college budgets. The hefty fees that international students pay fund programs and scholarships for UNC's in-state students.
The most obvious solution to remedy all these problems would be to allow international students to be eligible for financial aid. Unfortunately, UNC and the Board of Governors have no power here — federal law prohibits any public university from providing aid to non-Americans through FAFSA.
However, what UNC can do is offer institutional aid, and lower tuition and cost of attendance for international students in the short term. Unfortunately, UNC has not taken any steps in this direction so far, and the international cost of attendance remains $56,000 — more than double the in-state one. Additionally, the University could reach out to international students and offer a case-by-case methods of support, offering tuition payment deferrals or helping them plan gap semesters.
