Michigan Tech has students from both out of state and out of the country, which can be seen through campus events and culture. With current world events and policy changes, however, international students are having a harder time obtaining visas.
Nick Ambs, the Coordinator of Admissions, explained what the process looks like for a majority of students coming from other countries. “[Both] our domestic and international students apply through ‘Common App’ to apply to the school,” Ambs explained. With international students, MTU calculates their high school or college transcripts to determine if they meet the US standards.
If the international student gets a letter of acceptance, they have to prove they can afford one year of schooling by sending in an I-20 form. To acquire a visa, international students must apply for an interview at a U.S. embassy. Depending on the country, the wait for a visa interview can take a couple of weeks to a full year.
From May 2025 to Jun. 2025, the US government had put a pause on scheduling visa interviews. While lifted, interviews are still closed for certain countries, including Afghanistan, Burma (Myanmar), Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.
Andrew Toshchakov is a second-year international student studying computer science who went through the aforementioned visa process. Due to ongoing world conflicts, Toshchakov said, “With me, it’s difficult, because I’m from Russia.” He went on to explain how, because the U.S. embassies in Russia were no longer giving out visas, Toshchakov got his in Qatar, making the process more time-consuming and expensive.
Student visas only last for a year, but because Toshchakov has established he’s attending MTU, he’s technically safe from being deported, though it means he cannot travel outside the US without acquiring another visa. “The most difficult thing is not knowing when you’re going to see your family, your friends…” Toshchakov explained.
Toshchakov also recalled meeting another Russian international student in Boston who was attending Harvard. When the Trump administration barred international students from studying at Harvard in Jun. 2025, that student was abroad, forcing them to stay two days in an airport waiting room before they were let back in.
Though getting a visa can be strenuous, and the protection they give seems to wane, Toshchakov says he still loves being here. When asked why, Toshchakov responded, “Great guys. Great people.”
