International students and scholars make invaluable contributions to UCLA's intellectual and campus life. As undergraduate and graduate students, they bring diverse international and cultural perspectives to the classroom and residence halls. As scholars, they do ground-breaking research and inspire generations of graduate students to do the same in fields as disparate as engineering, medicine, mathematics, arts, and the social sciences and humanities.

Scientific inquiry and higher education as a whole are global endeavors that involve extensive collaboration and cooperation across borders. Many of the best minds and innovators in the U.S hail from other countries, as do many U.S. Nobel Prize winners.

As institutions of higher learning await rule changes in 2026 that might affect the terms of U.S. visas issued to international students and scholars, it is my hope that these changes reflect an understanding of the vital role that these individuals play in U.S. higher education and the economy.