SFU waives admission application fees for students affected by U.S. travel ban

Simon Fraser University (SFU) is waiving admission application fees for students potentially impacted by the U.S. travel ban that affects citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries.

Tim Rahilly, the university's vice president of students and international, said the policy was inspired by concerned members of the school community.

"We had been contacted by some students and professors indicating that — because this information was coming to students late in the application cycle — that [prospective students] might want to change their plans last minute," he said. 

The standard application fee for SFU is around $100 for undergraduate students and varies for graduate students. The university's offer to waive fees applies to students applying from inside the U.S. or from one of the affected countries.

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SFU will also consider late submissions from students who missed appliaction deadlines.

Rahilly said the policy is about more than just applicants saving cash — it's a symbolic move to let international students know they are welcome at the university and in B.C.

"Right now, in light of the confusion, and in light of students not being clear on what their options are ... we thought this could help," he said. 

"Students were reporting to us that they were feeling insecure about their place in North America. What we really want to do is reassure them and say, 'Yeah, you belong in Canada if that's where you want to be.'"

Interest in Canadian universities spikes

Rahilly said that applications from international students have spiked significantly since the ban was announced by U.S. President Donald Trump last month. The order temporarily barred citizens of Iran, Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen from entering the U.S.

But Rahilly said the increased interest in SFU isn't limited to prospective students from those seven nations.

"We're seeing double-digit percentage increases from countries like Turkey and India. People are looking at Canada in a favourable light because we don't have these restrictions," he said. 

"These students will have to meet competitive entry averages, but we just want to make provisions so that if we have qualified students that are impacted by this travel ban, they have opportunities at our university."

The University of Alberta and the University of Calgary have also waived their application fees in wake of the ban.

The University of Ottawa has introduced a number of measures to attract affected students, including an accelerated admissions process and exempting students from paying international fees.  

Revised order incoming: White House

Several days after the executive order was signed, a U.S. district judge in Seattle issued a temporary restraining order halting the ban.

A federal appeals court declined to block that lower-court ruling, allowing previously barred travelers to enter the U.S. 

The Trump administration has said it will be introducing a revised version of the order sometime this week.