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Since the pandemic developed last spring, many international students have continued to endure significant stress and hardship attempting to return to their home countries, cover the cost of rent and food and continue their studies. These problems have been worsened by a sometimes perplexing and callous regulatory environment that has created a secondary layer of uncertainty and potential financial distress.
In response, the University has created a high-level International Student Response Task Force to coordinate advocacy, services and problem solving.
Please help us assist our international student community!
Pandemic-related uncertainties have continued into the fall semester. As President Joe Harroz and Interim Provost Jill Irvine wrote in July, "At OU, this is not an international student problem. This is everyone's problem. For 130 years, OU has been a place where our students have thrived and succeeded. It is our obligation, like generations before us, to uphold these values. We are the OU family, and together, we will emerge stronger beyond the pandemic, complete with our remarkable international student community."
The David L. Boren College of International Studies aspires to be a national center of excellence and innovation in international education. Our goals are to broaden international exchange and research partnerships, to enhance the global fluency of our students so they can become compassionate, open-minded global citizens and leaders, and to serve OU's international students. As part of that mission, the College chairs the International Student Response Task Force of deans, vice presidents and directors across OU's three campuses, and houses OU's International Student Services (ISS) unit, which has been providing services to international students for over fifty years. These efforts serve around 2,000 international students and their dependents from over 100 countries across OU.
Please Join Us and Give to the International Student Pandemic Fund Today!
Provides a meal to an international student who may not otherwise be able to afford one because of lost wages related to COVID-19
Goes towards purchasing supplies or books to enhance their academic career
Subsidizes expenses incurred due to isolation/quarantine
Provides assistance to pay their rent because of lost wages related to COVID-19
Contributes towards tuition or fees directly related to COVID-19
International students often face unforeseen financial needs such as sickness, hospitalizations and loss of employment/income.
Scholarships for the International Student Emergency Relief Fund provide emergency assistance to international students who have experienced emergencies leading to unexpected financial obligations while at OU.
