To our international community:

Cornell is a world-class university because it is open to the world. We have long welcomed the brightest minds from around the globe to teach, learn, and research at Cornell, beginning with the students from South America, Asia, and Europe who studied in our very first classes.

Today our students, staff, and faculty come from 131 countries and bring an incredible richness of experience, talent, and perspective. We do research across the globe on important questions that require international collaboration to be answered. The results of that research provide benefits to the people of the United States and to our collaborators: We take great pride in the meaningful difference we’ve made in lives, landscapes, and learning around the world since the day we opened our doors.

A number of new orders and proclamations from the federal government target international students and international collaborations. As a university, we are working to understand the implications of these new rules and to advocate for and support our international community and work. 

We feel very strongly that Cornell—and indeed the United States—needs its international students, staff, and faculty, and we will do everything we can to maintain our open doors.

We want to see you on campus, and we are here to help. As you prepare for the fall semester, please stay informed by watching International Services alerts for our immigration specialists’ up-to-date guidance. If Visa Delays may cause you to arrive late, please reach out to us about your situation so that we can assess what options may be available to assist you. 

Sincerely,

Wendy Wolford, Vice Provost for International Affairs