On top of campus closures, reduced funding and limited air travel caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, foreign students are awaiting a decision from the Trump administration on whether a popular work program will continue.
Optional Practical Training, or OPT, offers foreign students an extended visa to stay in the United States for up to three years after graduation. It is popular among science, technology, engineering and math students who want to remain in the U.S. after OPT on H-1B work visas.
Several news outlets, including The New York Times, have reported that President Donald Trump is considering ending OPT, H-1B for skilled workers and H-2B for seasonal workers programs.
The worldwide coronavirus has sent billions of people into isolation stood at more than 14%.
There are more than 1 million international students in the U.S. Nearly 370,000 are from China. More than 200,000 are from India. STEM and business are the top fields of study.
Nearly 60% of international students and/or their families pay for their U.S. education out of pocket. Just over 20% pay for their education through employment, according to the nonprofit Institute of International Education.