This month, universities have been urging international students to arrive at campus before Jan. 20. Others have announced free tuition for low-income students.
At Dartmouth, students and a sorority were charged in connection with a student's death in July. At Harvard, international students are urging the Campus Housing office to address winter housing crises.
Here’s the latest at American colleges and universities.
Universities advise international students to return before Trump inauguration
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Yale University, the University of Massachusetts and others have issued advisories to international students encouraging them to return before the presidential inauguration.
The advisories come amid speculation that President-elect Donald Trump may impose travel and visa restrictions.
During his campaign, Trump repeatedly stated that he would carry out a mass deportation of undocumented immigrants. Approximately 408,000 undocumented students attend U.S. higher education institutions.
At Dartmouth, Alpha Phi sorority and two members of Beta Alpha Omega fraternity charged in connection with death of student
The Hanover Police department charged fraternity brothers Matthew Catrambone and Samuel Terry with a misdemeanor for “providing alcohol to persons under 21 years of age,” The Dartmouth reported earlier this month.
Alpha Phi was also charged for “facilitating an underage alcohol house.”
On July 7, student Won Jang was found dead in the Connecticut River. Authorities have ruled the death a tragic accident due to drowning and found “no evidence of hazing,” The Dartmouth reported.
International students denied winter housing at Harvard
At Harvard, international undergraduates were denied winter campus housing, The Harvard Crimson reported on Sunday.
Harvard’s College Housing office had previously written that “international students with demonstrable financial need” would be eligible to stay on campus during winter break. But it wrote last Monday that “other unique circumstances must be present” for approval.
For many juniors and seniors at Harvard, this is the first time they have been denied winter housing. More than 280 people signed a petition to “address Harvard’s winter housing crisis.”
University of Texas and MIT to offer free tuition for low-income students
MIT students with a family income of below $200,000 will enjoy free tuition starting fall 2025, MIT News reported earlier this month.
In an independent announcement, the University of Texas announced free tuition for students with a family income of below $100,000 starting next fall.
Megan is a Senior Staff Writer covering community and activism in Providence. Born and raised in Hong Kong, she spends her free time drinking coffee and wishing she was Meg Ryan in a Nora Ephron movie.
