US universities find ways to help students amid ban over outbreak

US universities are using measures ranging from videoconferencing to online assignments to help Chinese students whose study plans have been disrupted by travel restrictions brought in this month.

"The coronavirus affected three constituencies at NYU (New York University): Students from China who were scheduled to study at our New York campus, students studying at our degree-granting NYU Shanghai campus and students planning a study-abroad semester in NYU Shanghai this spring," said Beth Kwon, associate director of the office of public affairs at NYU.

Hindering some Chinese students from resuming their studies after the winter break are travel restrictions from the US government, visa issues and flight cancellations.

"We have had a small number of students (fewer than 30) withdraw for the semester because they were not able to return," said Chris Harris, senior director of strategic communications at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

In early February, the US government enacted a travel restriction for all foreign nationals who were on the Chinese mainland in the two weeks before entering the US.

The US embassy and consulates in China suspended all regular visa services this month and sent home all "nonemergency personnel and family members of US government employees", leaving the facilities understaffed.

Next came the cancellation of flights between China and the US. United, American and Delta airlines all announced they were suspending services between the two countries until late April.

Kwon said that roughly 175 NYU students were unable to leave China before the travel restrictions began.

The new semester started on Jan 27, and the school has been "in contact with them individually to provide technological accommodations that would enable them to start the semester with everybody else", she said.

Online classes

Those measures include attending class via videoconference and accessing class recordings and materials online, according to a message sent to NYU students.

"Initially, we had thought these would be short-term measures, but as the situation evolved, we've had to work with each student on a case-by-case basis to arrange an appropriate longer-term solution," said Kwon.

The novel coronavirus outbreak is affecting prospective students as well, with some standardized test providers suspending exams. Test results are an essential part of the college application process and are typically due in February and March.

Educational Testing Service (ETS), the company that runs the exams for TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) and graduate school admission, the GRE (Graduate Record Examination), announced this week that they canceled the two tests in China through the end of March.

The SAT exam, widely acknowledged as the primary college-entry test for US schools, is administered by the College Board, which canceled registrations for all students traveling from China to other countries to take the test on March 14.

"I will have to take a gap year in 2020 if ETS does not offer extra TOEFL test dates in April," wrote Weibo user Noniio, who claimed that testing spots are running out in April, with very few left in May.

Her point was echoed by hundreds of Chinese students at different levels who are applying to US schools this year.

NYU is among the US schools responding to the situation by postponing application deadlines or accepting alternatives.

"NYU will accept Duolingo English Language Testing for transfer students impacted by the cancellation of TOEFL and IELTS (the International English Language Testing System) exams for those seeking to transfer for fall 2020," Kwon said.

The University of Washington, the University of Pittsburgh and the Georgia Institute of Technology are among those suggesting on their websites that a special adjustment or extension could be available upon request to Chinese applicants.