MEMORANDUM

TO:

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS COMMUNITY AND INTERESTED

SUBJECT:

THE STRENGHT OF THE DOLLAR AND THE EFFECTS ON INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

The dollar has risen into a strong currency surpassing other major economies, in such a short
period of time. Although this may seem as good news, this increment on the dollar has
repercussions for a great part of the student communities of America, according to a research
conducted by Brookings, which is a nonprofit public policy organization that specializes in
research and the capture of data, the number of international students studying in the United
States is around 1,153,459. Even though there are some of this international students that have
their studies sponsored there are also many of them who pay for tuition and living expenses in
their foreign currency.
In 2015 the University of Texas at El Paso was ranked #1 among all United States universities in
the social mobility category for its success in helping students achieve the American Dream,
UTEPs geographic location has enabled generations to pursue higher education in this large
binational community. As for the period of fall 2015 UTEPs statistics registered that 80% of their
students are Hispanic, 4.8% are International Mexican and 2.1 are International Other. From
the 80% of the registered Hispanic there exists a part that corresponds to students whose parents
earn Mexican Pesos and pay for their sons college in their currency, this increment in the dollar
with respect to foreign currencies also affects this community. This situation comes as a surprise
to this affected since this was not a gradual change but an abrupt event, tuition and living
expenses raised making it more difficult for families to completely financially support this
students. Families are worried that the dollar will continue to grow at this rate, especially those
who want to send their younger sons to study in the United States in a near future. Solutions for
this financial problem seem scarce since some scholarships offered right now require the
participant to be a legal resident or citizen of the United States, concern rises and returning to
their country to study is sometimes a recurring idea for this students, especially those who have
younger brothers that will soon be graduating from high school. This problem and the time
doesnt give the affected a chance to think clearly on their next so they can look for opportunities
to solve it. Many of the international students are not aware that there are some scholarships only
for their type and that there also exists a special financial aid granted to international students.
The Good Neighbor Scholarship is a program designed to encourage academically talented
students from the countries of the Western hemisphere to pursue higher education in the State of
Texas, this scholarship provides an exemption from the payment of tuition for a 12-month period.
UTEP offers the Texas Public Education Grant to International students who demonstrate a
financial need caused by unexpected circumstances, this is a grant therefore the student doesnt
have to repay the award. More information and many more opportunities can be found in the OIP

and the UTEPs financial aid webpage. Although it is not known if this situation will change any
time soon, informing international students of this opportunities can make a great difference in
their lives.
http://financialaid.utep.edu/FinancialAid/IntlStudFinAid
http://sa.utep.edu/oip/good-neighbor-scholarship/
References
http://davidstockmanscontracorner.com/why-the-dollar-is-rising-as-the-global-monetary-bubblecraters/
http://universitycommunications.utep.edu/facts/index.html
http://www.brookings.edu/research/interactives/2014/geography-of-foreign-students#/M10420