We Support Our International Community at Rutgers

April 6, 2025

Members of the Rutgers Community:

We take pride in Rutgers’ standing as one of the most richly diverse state universities in the nation. Contributing in so many ways to the strength of our diversity are the thousands of students, faculty, scholars, clinicians, and staff who come here from other countries. Rutgers is truly an international university: our classrooms and labs form microcosms of the global community, bringing people from different cultures and nationalities together to study and solve the world’s most pressing challenges.

We deeply benefit from—and we strongly support—our international students and scholars.

Recent media reports regarding travel bans and visa reviews by the federal government have created uncertainty and fear. Here at Rutgers, as at other universities across the country, students who are in good academic standing have learned that their lawful status in the United States has been terminated without explanation. The university has been in touch with these students to provide information and guidance. While the number of such instances at Rutgers is limited thus far, the effect is understandably chilling to our international community.

To all our international students and scholars, I pledge our continued commitment to support you. Through Rutgers Global, and international student services offices on each campus, we provide assistance and resources to the international community and help with visa processing, academic support, and advocacy and outreach. Rutgers Global also sends global alerts related to travel advisories, immigration policies, and other regulatory updates.

Another critical resource for our international students is the Rutgers Immigrant Community Assistance Project (RICAP), located within Rutgers Law School and led by managing attorney Jason Hernandez. RICAP offers free and confidential legal consultations to all students experiencing immigration concerns. Rutgers students in need of its services can e-mail RICAP-Info@law.rutgers.edu.

Please take advantage of these services if you or someone you know at Rutgers has any concerns about immigration status or needs to talk to someone about their situation. We will continue to monitor and keep you apprised of federal actions regarding immigration and all other issues that affect the Rutgers community.

Sincerely,
 
Jonathan Holloway
President and University Professor