Slowdown in economy affecting international students

The current economy and higher tuition rates haven't been enough to force Linda Hsu to drop out of Southern Adventist University, but they certainly have led her to lead a frugal lifestyle.

She cooks three to four days worth of meals at one time, such as spaghetti or curry, shops a lot less and spends about $20 a week on groceries, Ms. Hsu said.

"It's very hard for my family. They don't own a business like many other (international students' parents); they use all of their savings for my education," said the 24-year-old Taiwan native. "So I try to not put too much pressure on them."

With a slowdown in the economy worldwide, many international students are feeling the effects here in the United States, officials say.

"Our international students face financial challenges in paying their bill that many of our U.S. students don't have," said Phil Cook, assistant vice president for enrollment at Lee University. "We've had students who have not been able to continue enrolling based upon their lack of financial support."

Despite economic challenges, the international student enrollment in universities and colleges around the region has not changed significantly, according to school officials.

At most regional campuses the number of international students increased. At Lee, it increased from 222 last year to 226 this semester; while at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga by six students and at Southern Adventist University, the number by 39 students.

"While there will certainly be students who are unable to come to the U.S. due to financial difficulties, hundreds of thousands of international students continue to see a U.S. degree as an invaluable investment in their future careers," said Peggy Blumenthal, executive vice president and chief operating officer for the Institute of International Education, a New York-based nonprofit organization.

At the undergraduate level, she said, the students and their parents are prepared to use their savings or look for less-expensive options. At the graduate level, there still is financial support for outstanding international students in many fields, especially in science and technology, she said.

For Abhilash Purani, a UTC student getting his master's degree in electrical engineering, the current economy has meant having to extend his graduation.

"As I see it right now, the greatest concern for international students is job opportunities," said the 26-year-old native of India. "I was supposed to graduate last May, but I extended my graduation to (next May) hoping the economy gets better."

Mr. Purani said he got a bank loan in India to pay for the first year of graduate school and was a graduate assistant, a paid position, at the university in the second.

Ms. Hsu said the most difficult thing about being an international student is the limits on where and the amount of hours she can work.

Except for limited exceptions, international students only can work on campus for fewer than 20 hours a week while school is in session or off campus under an optional practical training, which is a 17-month temporary employment directly related to their area of study.

"I have my nursing degree right now, but I can't work as a nurse," Ms. Hsu said.

But for both Ms. Hsu and Mr. Purani, being able to receive a degree from the United States is worth all the sacrifices.

"The education is expensive, but once I get the degree from the U.S. it will have a much greater impact for my future aspects," Mr. Purani said. "All of us know that education in the U.S. is really good."