Optional Practical Training (OPT) preserved and new language testing options

In good news for higher education, a U.S. District Court judgment has denied challenges to the Optional Practical Training (OPT) that allows international students to work after completing their degrees at U.S. universities. Higher education is beginning to breath easier as the tables turn back toward the U.S. being a preferred destination for international students. OPT is an essential piece of making the U.S. attractive because of the value of completing university study and then immediately going into a U.S. work experience. As an example of how urgent OPT is, witness the lawsuit by a masters of law graduate at Berkeley whose visa was denied as a result of the university's international student office error.

Another of President Biden's executive orders directed a review of policies impeding legal immigration. The majority of international students do not come to the U.S. with the intent to immigrant after their studies. However, having policies that do not stand in the way of immigration is another positive reassurance that the U.S. is turning away from Trump's "America First" isolationism.

In a move to compete with other language tests that are moving into their market the Educational Testing Services has introduced a new and cheaper TOEFL. The new and original version will both be available. Positioning themselves as an industry disruptor, a Dueling spokesperson whose move into language testing increased by 2,000 percent last year commented, "we are very happy to see long-term test providers moving in the direction that's critical for student success."