International Student Advocacy


Envisioning a better future for international graduate students.

International students deserve better.


Universities benefit from international students and workers, but their policies cause significant harm to the students they recruit and to their families.

While immigration policies are set at the national level, universities and departments can make changes, alter policies, and provide further resources to improve the quality of life for international students.

Join the VFC as we build a community of support for international students, document their experiences, and take action to fight for a better future.

Take the Survey

The International Students' Experience Survey

International graduate students, compared to their domestic counterparts, experience multiple additional barriers to success that cut or significantly limit their access to vital resources for academic and professional development and/or mental and physical health. The aggregate impact of the current pandemic, the unpromising job market, and other related crises have further complicated the already precarious lives of international graduate students.

The purpose of this survey is to identify and raise awareness about the disparities between international graduate students’ experiences and domestic graduate students’ experiences.

We hope to identify key issues, concerning international graduate students, that we can put at the forefront of our future advocacy efforts. Our objective is to shed light on the nearly invisible inequities that, even in our current “woke” political climate, are often overlooked in higher education institutions.

We want to map the landscape of your diverse experiences, we want to know where these experiences converge and diverge, we want to understand what your most immediate concerns and needs are, and we want to know what changes you hope to see in the future. We also hope to open channels of communication between all international students beyond national and geopolitical lines. Tell us what you want us to know and help us help you and others like you.

About us

The Visionary Futures Collective brings together humanists across the United States to tackle challenges relating to the present and future of higher education. We believe that the study of human history and cultural expression is essential to a more just and meaningful society. Our purpose is to create the conditions in which this work can thrive. Read our full mission statement here.

The International Student Advocacy project is led by international graduate students pursuing PhDs in the humanities. It is supported by the VFC.

The VFC takes your privacy seriously. Read our Statement on Data Use and Reuse here.

Join The Collective