Caught between travel restrictions and summer housing costs, pressure mounts for some international students

As the summer approaches and students continue to solidify summer employment plans, a number of concerns have been raised by international students who cannot return home. 

For students studying at the college from other countries, the vast majority of whom are holders of F-1 visas, options for off-campus internships and jobs are limited, and traveling home for the summer presents a variety of challenges that include the possibility of not being let back into the United States to begin the fall semester. 

An international student from the Philippines commented on the geopolitical pressures complicating a return home for the summer and explained that job postings put out by the college — required to stay in dormitories over the summer, with exceptions — are regularly snapped up in short order. 

“It's basically because of the war in Iran,” the student said. “Right now, the Philippines is facing an energy crisis, and that can have a lot of implications to a lot of things, transportation, and so on.”

For this student, returning home over the summer is not an option because of the closure of many flight paths through the Middle East.

“So I am predicting as well that international flights would be expensive. There will be a huge possibility that it won't even happen because we usually cross the Middle Eastern, that path as well, right? If I were to go to the Atlantic, that would cost a bit more as well. My parents told me as well, to not go home as much as possible because they're just worried about my safety in general,” the student added. 

This student recognized how the variety of services, workshops, and programming offered by the college, dedicated to helping international students — administered primarily by International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) and the Center for Careers and Internships (CCI) — are typically very helpful, and expressed gratitude towards the college’s efforts in helping international students. 

This semester, ISSS and the CCI have offered a series of workshops to help international students find potential summer opportunities. ISSS also offers programming to help students apply for Curricular Practical Training (CPT) and Optional Practical Training (OPT) approvals, which are required for off-campus experiences, as well as workshops on filing U.S. taxes.

However, what the college can provide is always tempered by competition among students vying for stable summer employment, housing, and dining. 

“I think there's definitely a lot of opportunity. It's just that you have to compete for it. That's kind of the friction of it, I guess. There's not much, per se, help with what you have to do and all that, so that you can guarantee housing. There's not much of a stable path for you to take,” the student explained. 

Karen Bartlett, Associate Director of International Admissions, explained that part of the bottleneck effect contributing to the scarcity of summer employment at the college is due to restrictions on F-1 visas. 

“Their F-1 visa dictates that they're not allowed to work off campus. So then they're in a situation where they definitely need to stay on campus, and they need to have a job on campus. And as the number of international students staying on campus rises for those reasons, then there's job shortages,” Bartlett said.

Bartlett noted that, compared with other colleges and universities that host international students, Middlebury provides greater support and access throughout the breaks of the school year — something that one of the international students mentioned earlier also commended. 

“We do a really good job in comparison to some of the other colleges I've talked to. It's really admirable that Middlebury allows students to stay over during breaks. When we close the dining halls, we try to provide food in the dorms or give some money to use at local restaurants or get a meal at Shiretown type of thing,” Bartlett noted.

The college continues to provide residential support through its Residential Life (ResLife) team, even if on a smaller level. 

“The College is open over the summer, and students have access to campus support, although it’s a good opportunity for students to live more independently as well. Our office hires summer Resident Assistants (RAs) that live in the summer housing, host community events, and are available for general questions and support,” Associate Dean for Student Life AJ Place wrote in an email to The Campus. 

One international student expressed a desire for the college to prioritize international students in accepting job applications for their summer employment opportunities. 

“I think they [Middlebury] should probably prioritize students who have reasons why they are actually staying here — not just because they want to stay here and get experience, but that have other burdens and they can't go back home or like they have nowhere else to go,” the student said. 

Interim Executive Director of ISSS Jess Schlotfeldt commented that the school is aware of the potential issues and that the office has spoken with international students who may be facing a lack of support over the summer. She explained that ISSS is monitoring the situation and coordinating with other residential offices on campus. 

“We have connected with ResLife and will continue to follow this as we come closer to summer. We recommend that students apply for summer housing if they are interested in campus housing, and their situation will be reviewed individually. Students are welcome to connect with ResLife for individual questions, and we encourage international students to seek out College employment, research, or an internship through CCI,” Schlotfeldt wrote in an email to The Campus. 

Over the summer, the college transfers control of most of its housing and academic facilities to the Language Schools. 

“Living on campus in the summer is different from what students are used to during the academic year. Language School students are actively enrolled in classes and are required to live on campus, so they have priority for campus space. Summer housing for student workers is a privilege, and it is important students understand that the language pledge is in effect and Language School students are meant to be in an immersed experience. English is not allowed in most areas of campus, including the dining hall, library, and any common spaces, including outside,” Place added.

One international student who has spent two summers at the college commented that the overcrowding in dorms reserved for summer student workers can lead to unclean, uncomfortable living conditions. 

“The kitchens would get so packed, and we're not even allowed to enter some of the dining halls. There's a lot of restrictions, especially around food and housing,” the student explained. 

“The microwave is not working. The facility, the water is so nasty coming out from the taps. Everyone's sharing two kitchens, kitchens are overbooked. I think there were only two kitchens in Stewart, and there were what, I want to say, like 50 to 60 international students living there. So I think they definitely can do better, but they're just slacking. They're choosing not to do better,” the student added. 

For the summer of 2026, ResLife has not seen any increase in demand so far and anticipates being able to house all students who request housing. 

“We have not seen a significant increase in summer housing requests at this point. We always encourage students to look for on-campus employment, research, or internship opportunities first since those groups have priority for summer housing. After those students are housed, we’ll house other students based on availability. While we never know how many students will request summer housing, we have been able to house all students that have requested it over the past few years,” Place said. 

Editor's note: Managing Editor Yuvraj Shah ’26 contributed reporting to this article.

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Cole Chaudhari

Cole Chaudhari '26 (he/him) is the Senior News Editor. 

 Cole is a senior at Middlebury, where he serves as The Campus's Senior News Editor and studies English literature and history. This past summer, Cole taught high schoolers in New Hampshire, which he is seeking to do after graduation.