For International Education Week, Sarah and Jon talk with Dr. Judyth Sachs, chief academic officer at Studiosity, about the pressures students face across borders—well-being, finances, language, and the challenge of feeling at home on campus—and how these issues are shaping the choices international students make about where to study. Sachs also offers a frank view of how "Brand USA" is being perceived abroad and what that means for global competition for students and scholars.

But first, the hosts walk through the newest Open Doors data showing a 17 percent drop in new international student enrollment and what the numbers suggest about visa policy, research funding, and the trajectory of U.S. higher education in the year ahead.

Here are some of the links and references from this week's show:

2025 Open Doors Report

Open Doors Data Portal

IIE Press Release on Open Doors 2025

Studiosity website

Studiosity Global Student Wellbeing Survey

Australian Government Department of Education Student Experience Survey (SES) – International Key Findings

From Cash Cows to Valued Voices Report (Australia)

International Students and the Australian Economy (Reserve Bank of Australia Bulletin) — July 2025