The Lion's Pride vol. 2 (Jun. 2014) | Page 104

97 submitting the information to the Student Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) as students can find at Lake Washington Institute of Technology (LWIT) Admission Department website. Each organization has an associated fee, but SEVIS and school application fees are for all foreign students. Since the process does not start until all the forms and fees have been paid, this step is the most time consuming Secondly, international programs are expensive, as foreign student tuition is unsubsidized by the federal government. According to Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange, two-thirds of foreign students pay their higheducation in the U.S., thus boosting the economy: “International students make up slightly under four percent of total student enrollment at the graduate and undergraduate level combined. International students’ spending in all 50 states contributed approximately $24 billion to the U.S. economy in 2013.” This is the first financial challenge for international students; the second challenge arises with the employment restrictions in the host country. Although the students may receive some assistance from sponsors, tuition and education-related expenses increase each year.