The International Student Blog

The British Council has warned UK Universities not to treat foreign or international students as “cash cows” as recruitment drives pick up by schools in the UK to attract more students from abroad. The stark warning comes as declining budgets mean that Universities are looking at other avenues with which increase their cash flow. International Students are one way that most Universities are looking to increase their revenues and plug the gap from falling budgets – as most can and will charge international students full tuition fees.

The British Council fears that the new attention to aggressively recruit foreign students will undermine the reputation of higher education learning in the UK. British Council chief executive Martin Davidson said: “It would be seriously counter-productive and, in the long run, potentially self-defeating, for universities to focus on intensifying student recruitment drives as a knee-jerk reaction to current financial difficulties and state funding cuts.

“International students have more study options today than ever before, and in an internet-connected world word quickly spreads when it appears a university regards them as little more than ‘cash cows’.

For more information about this article please see the BBC News source, or visit the British Council website for more information. Please also let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

With the World Cup just under 80 days away – the tension and excitement is starting to build as the world biggest tournament prepares to get underway. The 2010 tournament is held every four years, and this time around South Africa are the hosts – and people from all around the world will converge on the African Nation.

If you are one of the lucky ones who was able to get tickets, or you plan to travel to South Africa and get last minute tickets – you will want to make sure you are covered by a high quality health and travel insurance plan that will cover you in the event something happens. World Cup Insurance offers that plan, and with rates as low as $7 for just 7 days of coverage and the flexibility to design coverage limits to suit your needs and desires.

The plan includes international toll free access in South Africa and around the world, so if you need assistance, help is never more than a phone call away – and you can purchase coverage immediately online!

For more information and to purchase a plan please visit: http://www.worldcup-insurance.com/

The tax season is right upon us, and for international students navigating the complex US tax system is not an easy task. The first thing to note is that ALL international students who were in the USA during the last year will need to submit and file their taxes – even if you received no income!

So now that we are clear that all students will need to file their taxes and submit at least one form, the next step is to work out what forms need to be completed:

Form 8843 – Must be filed by ALL international students present in United States to exclude the days of presence from the Substantial Presence Test.

Form 1040NR-EZ – Must be filed by all international students who have received any type of U.S income other than interest received from U.S. banks and credit unions.

Social Security and Medicare Taxes - International students nonresident for tax purposes are NOT subject to Social Security and Medicare taxes. If your employer has withheld Social Security and Medicare tax in error, you can apply to get a refund for the taxes withheld in error by filing Form 843 and Form 8316

To help you completing these forms and to work out what forms you need to complete, you can use our online system to enter in your personal details and information. The system will then put all this information into the correct forms for you to print off and send to the IRS. Unfortunately international students are not able to submit and file their taxes online – so you will need to mail them in.

There is a wealth of information about taxes for international students that is available on our website, plus you can also visit the official IRS website which has more detailed information. You can also call the IRS and talk to a representative and ask them questions about your taxes, they can be found at 1-800-829-1040.

If you are an international student who needs more complex tax assistance, then we highly suggest you opt for a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) – two resources who past students have used and recommended to us are:

1. LBF Tax
2. The Tax Guy

Good luck with filing your tax returns!

International Students at Texas A&M University are rallying around to save their “International Week” which they hold each year to celebrate their cultures, traditions and show their identity to all students on campus. This year’s International Week was canceled due to logistical problems with the International Student Association, however despite these problems a group of international students have banded together to put on “International Day”

“International Week is a very important event in which we are able to
show our identity and show it off in a good way,” said Ana Monson,
president of the Guatemalan Student Association. “It is a chance to
teach our fellow Aggies and other international students about our
culture.”

Instead of “International Week”, students will now be celebrating “I-Day” on April 12th where there will be cultural displays, shows and events to celebrate the diversity of international students studying at the university.

“It’s important to the international community that we take the time to
display their hard work and effort over the years,” said Zach Gibson, International Student Association Vice President of Advocacy. “For a lot of the organizations, it is the main event and what they work for all year long. The event is especially for the newer groups that are still growing and recruiting. It’s important to do something together and for the student body. This is a way to grow and to give back to the student body but also to receive and gain new members.”

To learn more about this, and to read the full article, please visit the Battalion online.

Are you an international student at Texas A&M University, then let us know in the comments below how you will be celebrating the new I-Day.