Shuai “Eddy” Jiang, a junior at Boston College, is nearly every college’s dream international student. Not only do students like him bring diversity to campus, they also usually pay full price for their education.

The pandemic, however, is likely to put a severe dent in this revenue stream. Institutions are now scrambling to rethink how they recruit and teach students from abroad as they prepare for fall 2020.  

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) issued new guidelines last week to help higher education institutions plan for the fall amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The CDC suggests, among other things, closing residence halls and communal spaces like kitchens and dining operations. 

As universities weigh these possible new realities, experts fear that limiting campus facilities—or keeping them closed—will exacerbate disparities for low-income students, as many rely on their college campus as a vital safety net for food and housing.