Carlos Tercero had already been forced to move in with one of his teammates when St. Edward's University closed its campus because of the pandemic, their seasons cut short like so many others across the nation.

Tercero and fellow golfer Nico Ciavaglia were adjusting to online classes off campus when things got even worse: The seniors-to-be have no team to return to next season.

The small school in Austin, Texas, slashed five teams from its successful Division II athletics programs: men's and women's golf, men's and women's tennis and men's soccer, while also downgrading its cheer squad to a club sport.

They were easily among the most drastic sports cuts among NCAA schools so far as higher education administrators across the nation face a devastating financial blow from the pandemic. St. Edward's is among five Division II schools known to have shut down athletic programs or drop individual programs since March 1, according to Associated Press research.

Urbana University in Ohio, which had a 19-sport Division II program, announced last month that the school would close by summer. Notre Dame De Namur in California has eliminated its 12-sport program. Sonoma State in California dropped women's water polo, along with men's and women's tennis; and Fayetteville State in Arkansas dropped women's tennis.

Only five total teams have been eliminated in cuts by four Division I schools, though the pace could pick up. And all of the decisions are hitting athletes hard.

"To have that ripped away from us so abruptly was just heartbreaking," Ciavaglia said.

Head coaches of the affected teams, who have been to NCAA tournaments and won conference titles, say they were blindsided with the news during a Zoom meeting with St. Edward's administrators on April 15 that lasted only a few minutes.

"They chopped our heads before we knew we were being accused of a crime," said Estevam Strecker, the men's tennis coach who had four All-Americans on his sixth-ranked team this spring.

An online petition started by Ciavaglia and Tercero to save the programs has received thousands of signatures. The school, which does not have a football team, has about 4,300 students.

After a series of meetings, administrators offered a daunting, long-shot chance: Each program would have to raise enough money by the end of May to cover five years of operational costs: $2.3 million for the golf teams, $2.2 million for men's soccer, $2 million for the tennis teams and $800,000 for cheer. They would then have to raise another $50 million or so over the next five years to fully endow the teams; the school's current overall endowment is about $110 million.

All of that wouldn't even fund any scholarships for athletes on those teams; most of the more than 300 athletes receive some form of athletic, academic or need-based aid. The total cost of attendance for the 2020-2021 school year for a student will be about $66,000.

Administrators declined comment, issuing a statement that said St. Edward’s "will not compromise our student-athletes by running programs that are not properly funded" and noted it had outlined a financial pathway to reinstatement. Athletic director Debbie Taylor acknowledged to the Austin American, "It's going to be very challenging" for the programs to raise that kind of money.

The St. Edward's campus is about eight kilometers from the University of Texas, which has one of the biggest and most expensive Division I athletic programs, annually generating well over $200 million in revenue. St. Edward's operated its entire athletic program for about $9 million in 2018-2019, according to federal records.

School President George Martin wrote in a letter to students that the school is bracing for major budget cuts, citing several million dollars in lost revenue after refunds to students for housing, meals and other fees. There is a projected 12% decline in enrollment and revenue for the next school year.

For Strecker, life has become a balance of confidence and despair, though he intends to proceed in the same way he has always coached his players: to never quit trying.

"On top of that, I'm try to balance we're in the middle of a pandemic," he said. "There are 30 million people that lost their jobs ... and here we are about to call people and ask for money to save a tennis program."

Strecker said he has raised about $8,000 per year, easily covering any amount that he might have gone over budget. The tennis program is now being asked to raise $2 million in 30 days and another $16.2 million the next five years.

St. Edward's is the only one of the 19 schools in the Lone Star Conference to cut any teams so far. The school will be down to the minimum 10 teams necessary for Division II status unless some, or all, of the programs are restored.

"There is some optimism, although I think me and my teammates are now resigned to the decision, given that the university doesn't seem to value our program and hastily cut it along with the five others," said George Murray, a senior-to-be soccer player who finished his semester online after going home to England.

Murray is among about 60 athletes from the five teams with eligibility remaining. St. Edward's will honor any athletic scholarships for the duration of their undergraduate enrollment or grant immediate release to any who prefer to transfer.

Ciavaglia and Tercero both said they likely will remain at St. Edward's to finish their degrees as quickly as possible. Tercero, who is from Mexico, would lose credits toward his business degree and some scholarship money if he transferred to keep playing. He said he would also have to get his visa changed.

"I'm trying to finish school," Tercero said. "So the school has put us in a very hard situation of basically making us stay at the school."

It’s tough to gain admission to Yale University, and it’s getting even tougher for international students as standout students from around the world set their sights on Yale.

The Yale Dale News, the campus newspaper, takes a look at the situation here.

Read the full story here.

Ruth Chane, a computer science major from Ethiopia, writes about her experiences settling into student life at Whitman College in the U.S. state of Washington.

"The community at Whitman College made sure I felt welcomed even before I stepped foot on campus," she says.

Read her essay here.

In The Student Life, the student newspaper for the Claremont Colleges, a consortium of five liberal art colleges and two graduate schools in Claremont, California, student Rochelle Lu writes about readjusting to her Shanghai home after spending a semester in the United States.

Read the full story here.

Cedarville University in the U.S. state of Ohio says it’s got more than 140 international students representing 44 countries.

Here, the school interviews Jonathan Sutton, director of international student services. He talks about his job and the opportunities for international students on campus.

Read the full article here.

Morehouse College, a private, historically Black liberal arts college in the U.S. state of Georgia, offers a guide for international students interested in attending the school.

Among the tips to apply and thrive at Morehouse:

• Take advantage of the school’s orientation program
• Turn to the school’s Center for Academic Success for tutoring, support and more
• Immerse yourself in campus life via clubs and societies

Read the full article here.

The administration of President Donald Trump said on Monday it will review Columbia University's federal contracts and grants over allegations of antisemitism, which it says the educational institution has shown inaction in tackling.

Rights advocates note rising antisemitism, Islamophobia and anti-Arab bias since U.S. ally Israel's devastating military assault on Gaza began after Palestinian Hamas militants' deadly October 2023 attack.

The Justice Department said a month ago it formed a task force to fight antisemitism. The U.S. Departments of Health and Education and the General Services Administration jointly made the review announcement on Monday.

"The Federal Government's Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism is considering Stop Work Orders for $51.4 million in contracts between Columbia University and the Federal Government," the joint statement said.

The agencies said no contracting actions had been taken yet.

"The task force will also conduct a comprehensive review of the more than $5 billion in federal grant commitments to Columbia University."

The agencies did not respond to requests for comment on whether there were similar reviews over allegations of Islamophobia and anti-Arab bias.

Columbia had no immediate comment. It previously said it made efforts to tackle antisemitism.

College protests

Trump has signed an executive order to combat antisemitism and pledged to deport non-citizen college students and others who took part in pro-Palestinian protests.

Columbia was at the center of college protests in which demonstrators demanded an end to U.S. support for Israel due to the humanitarian crisis caused by Israel's assault on Gaza. There were allegations of antisemitism and Islamophobia in protests and counter-protests.

During last summer's demonstrations around the country, classes were canceled, some university administrators resigned and student protesters were suspended and arrested.

While the intensity of protests has decreased in recent months, there were some demonstrations last week in New York after the expulsion of two students at Columbia University-affiliated Barnard College and after New York Governor Kathy Hochul ordered the removal of a Palestinian studies job listing at Hunter College.

A third student at Barnard College has since been expelled, this one related to the occupation of the Hamilton Hall building at Columbia last year.

The Trump administration is opening new investigations into allegations of antisemitism at five U.S. universities including Columbia and the University of California, Berkeley, the Education Department announced Monday.

It's part of President Donald Trump's promise to take a tougher stance against campus antisemitism and deal out harsher penalties than the Biden administration, which settled a flurry of cases with universities in its final weeks. It comes the same day the Justice Department announced a new task force to root out antisemitism on college campuses.

In an order signed last week, Trump called for aggressive action to fight anti-Jewish bias on campuses, including the deportation of foreign students who have participated in pro-Palestinian protests.

Along with Columbia and Berkeley, the department is now investigating the University of Minnesota, Northwestern University and Portland State University. The cases were opened using the department's power to launch its own civil rights reviews, unlike the majority of investigations, which stem from complaints.

Messages seeking comment were left with all five universities.
A statement from the Education Department criticized colleges for tolerating antisemitism after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel and a wave of pro-Palestinian protests that followed. It also criticized the Biden administration for negotiating "toothless" resolutions that failed to hold schools accountable.

"Today, the Department is putting universities, colleges, and K-12 schools on notice: this administration will not tolerate continued institutional indifference to the wellbeing of Jewish students on American campuses," said Craig Trainor, the agency's acting assistant secretary for civil rights.

The department didn't provide details about the inquiries or how it decided which schools are being targeted. Presidents of Columbia and Northwestern were among those called to testify on Capitol Hill last year as Republicans sought accountability for allegations of antisemitism. The hearings contributed to the resignation of multiple university presidents, including Columbia's Minouche Shafik.

An October report from House Republicans accused Columbia of failing to punish pro-Palestinian students who took over a campus building, and it called Northwestern's negotiations with student protesters a "stunning capitulation."

House Republicans applauded the new investigations. Representative Tim Walberg, chair of the Education and Workforce Committee, said he was "glad that we finally have an administration who is taking action to protect Jewish students."

Trump's order also calls for a full review of antisemitism complaints filed with the Education Department since Oct. 7, 2023, including pending and resolved cases from the Biden administration. It encourages the Justice Department to take action to enforce civil rights laws.

Last week's order drew backlash from civil rights groups who said it violated First Amendment rights that protect political speech.

The new task force announced Monday includes the Justice and Education departments along with Health and Human Services.

"The Department takes seriously our responsibility to eradicate this hatred wherever it is found," said Leo Terrell, assistant attorney general for civil rights. "The Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism is the first step in giving life to President Trump's renewed commitment to ending anti-Semitism in our schools."

The Times of India breaks down the most popular subjects for international students to study in the U.S.

STEM and business lead the pack. Read the full story here. (January 2025)

U.S. News & World report addresses some of the misconceptions about U.S. colleges and universities, including the difficulty of getting a visa.

Read the full story here. (January 2025)

US News & World Report details the three top factors in foreign students' decision to study in the U.S. They include research opportunities and the reputation of U.S. degrees. Read the full story here. (December 2024)

A British student who did a year abroad at Bowling Green State University in Ohio talks about adjusting to life in America in a TikTok video, Newsweek magazine reports.

Among the biggest surprises? Portion sizes, jaywalking laws and dorm room beds.

Read the full story here. (December 2024)

Harvard's T.H. Chan School of Public Health reaches out to international students by detailing the international student experience at the school.

Learn more about housing, life in Boston and more here.

China issued its first national action plan to build a "strong education nation" by 2035, which it said would help coordinate its education development, improve efficiencies in innovation and build a "strong country."

The plan, issued Sunday by the Communist Party's central committee and the State Council, aims to establish a "high quality education system" with accessibility and quality "among the best in the world."

The announcement was made after data on Friday showed China's population fell for a third consecutive year in 2024, with the number of deaths outpacing a slight increase in births, and experts cautioning that the downturn will worsen in the coming years.

High childcare and education costs have been a key factor for many young Chinese opting out of having children, at a time when many face uncertainty over their job prospects amid sluggish economic growth.

"By 2035, an education power will be built," the official Xinhua news agency said, adding that China would explore gradually expanding the scope of free education, increase "high-quality" undergraduate enrolment, expand postgraduate education, and raise the proportion of doctoral students.

The plan aims to promote "healthy growth and all-round development of students," making sure primary and secondary school students have at least two hours of physical activity daily, to effectively control the myopia, or nearsightedness, and obesity rates.

"Popularizing" mental health education and establishing a national student mental health monitoring and early warning system would also be implemented, it said.

It also aims to narrow the gap between urban and rural areas to improve the operating conditions of small-scale rural schools and improve the care system for children with disabilities and those belonging to agricultural migrant populations.

The plan also aims to steadily increase the supply of kindergarten places and the accessibility of preschool education.

The Open Notebook, a site focusing on educating journalists who cover science, has complied a list of U.S. graduate program financial aid information for international students.

Read it here.