International students are an important part of our learning community. In recent years, 20-25% of the students in our program were born or raised in countries outside of the United States. Our international students enrich our program in many ways, including their ability to provide perspectives on human behavior, research, and counseling that may differ from mainstream US perspectives.
The Washington, D.C. area is an attractive place to live for many international students due to its rich cultural diversity — a diversity that, to a great extent, is reflected at the University of Maryland. Our area has an abundance of dining and grocery options that represent cuisines from around the globe. Additionally, the metropolitan DC area is served by an excellent public transportation system, making it possible to live without a car, even if one lives off-campus.
As exciting as it can be for international students to arrive at their new university, it can also be stressful, as it often involves…
- Settling into life in a new country and culture
- Learning and managing visa and work requirements
- Understanding university requirements for international students
- Facing the challenges of speaking and reading English
- The Graduate School maintains an international admissions webpage, along with a page on English language proficiency requirements.
- International students face additional fees or fiscal requirements. Starting in 2017, the University began to charge an international student fee to support services provided to international students. International students may also face additional expenses related to their visas due to requirements for year-round enrollment when participating in activities such as externships and internships.
- The website of International Student & Scholar Services (ISSS) at the University of Maryland contains a wealth of helpful information, including details related to admissions, arriving as a new student, support services, visa and work requirements, university regulations, and issues related to English proficiency. We strongly advise current and prospective students to spend the time needed to become familiar with the information on the ISSS website. We also recommend that prospective and current students develop relationships with advisors in ISSS early in their relationship with the University of Maryland. Doing so can help international students anticipate and prepare for potential challenges that may arise. Some examples of potential challenges include visa restrictions that prevent international students from accepting stipends for externship experiences outside the University (although these experiences rarely offer stipends), visa requirements regarding continuous registration, and certain externship and internship options that are limited to US citizens (e.g., Veterans Affairs Medical Centers).
- Who is the best source of information about international student issues related to our program? It’s our own international students. Our students have created their own International Justice Committee to support one another and advocate for improvements in the resources and policies related to international students. Issues related to international students are also discussed in our program’s organization for counseling psychology students (CoPSA).
- Finally, we cannot emphasize enough the importance of empowering yourself to be your own best advocate. Our university and program are steadily improving the support our international students receive by default. However, students should not assume they will automatically be given all the information they need to know. It is for this reason that we encourage you to advocate for yourself. This means searching for relevant information on the University website and discussing international student issues with multiple people (including advisors in ISSS, departmental administrative staff, program co-directors, and current international students). Doing so will minimize the chances of unexpected problems and maximize the likelihood that your experience at the University of Maryland is fulfilling.