International education in the US has been weathering a perfect storm for the past few years. Schools have closed, wholesale layoffs have occurred (most recently at the American Language Institute at Sand Diego State University), and some have hedged their risk through creative insurance.
Yesterday, SEVP enacted another rise in the barometric pressure of that storm, with the increased SEVIS fees. The schools predicted to be impacted the most? The short-term intensive English language sector.
With the increase of the SEVIS fee from $200 to $350 for students applying for the F1 Visa, students face a 75% increase in the Fee costs – which, which when combined with the F1 Visa Application Fee of $160, represents additional costs equal to 30%+ of the average tuition of those short-term, four-week intensive English programs (see Table 1 below).
Schools that thrive in this environment are those that not only adapt but also innovate, not just merely reacting to the market, but leading the market of language and educational learners. From entrepreneurial pursuits that see programs partnering with universities, businesses, governments, and associations abroad, meeting students where they are and supporting education and enterprise, to those schools that lead with technology, integrating the learning process into the livelihood of today’s global citizen, the opportunities abound in international education.
Programmatic change is also welcomed in this environment, even if nudged by the SEVIS fee increase. Schools may explore schedules that cater to the part-time professional as well as the recreational learner. With the advances in technology, these offerings expand their reach beyond the classroom. Individuals now have options to bring classes to their homes and lives through technology, establishing connections that begin before any campus-based instruction and that continue long after the individual has returned to their homes and lives.
Global Ed Professionals can help your organization, your school, through the storm. We work with your institution, focused upon your strategies and resources, to aid in your innovation. Whether through short-term program development, cross-border delivery and partnerships, or online delivery, we have the background and expertise to help you navigate, succeed, and lead.
In short, there will always be challenges – always have been, and as one much wiser once said, “there is nothing new under the sun” – but out of those challenges comes growth and opportunity that ultimately benefits and advances the success of peoples everywhere.
SEVIS Fee Impact on the US-based Short-term English Language Sector:
From a student’s financial perspective, the combined SEVIS Fee of $350 and the F1 Visa Application Fee of $160 adds 30%+ to what the average tuition is for a full-time, four-week session. A sampling of tuition prices across the US for a standard short-term program demonstrate the impact to the decision-making process for students and families seeking short-term programs:
Table 1: SEVIS Fee Increase as percentage of tuition
The number of students coming to the US for English Language Training having declined for the past three to four years. The most recent Study in the States data shows a decline of almost 30% since 2016 of the number of students studying Language Training:
All of these numbers impact the F1 Visa, leaving open for the sector growth opportunities to meet student and market demands for options in other visa categories, e.g., the B1 and B2 short-term visitor visa.