The US Department of Homeland Security, or DHS, has proposed a new fee on a work program for international students.
Dozens of colleges say they cannot afford it.
The rule is in the news because its public comment period closed on Monday.
The department received nearly 9,000 comments on it.
Key points
- The proposed fee is $70,000 for a first application and $30,000 for later ones.
- Colleges say the fee would cost them millions and could block qualified students.
- DHS estimates the total cost to institutions at $8.7 billion to $16.9 billion.
- Critics say the fee punishes colleges that follow the rules, rather than stopping fraud.
So what is this program, and who pays the fee?
The program is called optional practical training, often shortened to OPT.
It lets international students work in the US for a period after they finish their studies.
Under the proposal, colleges would have to pay the fee for each international graduate who applies.
Markwayne Mullin, the secretary of homeland security, proposed the rule.
If you are an international student hoping to work in the US after graduation, this rule could affect your plans.
Why are colleges pushing back?
Colleges say the fee would punish schools that already follow the rules.
They argue it does little to stop fraud, which is the administration's stated goal.
DHS has cited fraud schemes, in which students claim to work at companies that do not exist.
Colleges questioned why the department believes the fee will work, and how it chose the amount.
The American Council on Education warned that the fee creates a "pay-to-play" system.
It said talented graduates who cannot pay tens of thousands of dollars could be pushed out of the program.
How big could the cost be for universities?
The Association of American Universities, or AAU, studied comments from its member institutions.
Even well-funded research universities said they could not afford the fees.
Among those that gave an annual estimate, Tulane University had the lowest, at $13 million each year.
Eight institutions said they would owe over $100 million a year.
Graphic: News Anek, from the facts in this report
Arizona State University, which hosts more international students than any other US university, was one of those eight.
The rule is still a proposal, and no final decision has been announced.
