Financial accessibility to education should be a right — not a privilege — for international students

As universities across the country prioritize inclusion in academic standards, financial accessibility is an essential part of the equation.

Cornell University’s Student Assembly is creating a financial assistance plan for international students dealing with “extenuating circumstances,” including bankruptcy and family financial problems. With assistance from President Martha Pollack, who greenlighted the program in December, the university is allocating alumni donations and endowment funds to provide additional aid to its international student body.

In this way, Cornell, a Syracuse University peer institution, is setting the stage for a broader conversation about financial accessibility for international students who are often burdened with full tuition costs due to a lack of federal financial aid and limited employment opportunities. Cornell’s external funding assures students they’re substantial members of their student body — not cash cows.

Cornell’s initiative sets an example for other higher education institutions, including Syracuse University, to consider providing similar resources SU has set similar precedents in regard to international student assistance, including establishing a scholarship specifically for SU students protected under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which secures children brought illegally to the U.S. by their parents from deportation.

But amid rising national tuition costs and tension between the international student community and the presidential administration, U.S. universities should, like Cornell, continue to evaluate ways to best foster support for international students.

Higher education has become an immeasurable asset, and it’s important universities recognize that all students deserve a seat in the classroom — domestic and international ones alike.

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