The University of Maryland’s Independent Student Newspaper
THE DIAMONDBACK
graduate guide 2026
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Table of contents
CONTENTS 3 WHY GRAD SCHOOL 6 NEW VISA RESTRICTIONS glu history in GRADUATE LABOR 8 pictures 4 UNION GOALS FULLY UPDATED AND EDITED BY: Founded 1910, independent since 1971. SAM GAUNTT Editor-in-Chief 3150 S. Campus Dining Hall, College Park, Md., 20742 301-314-8200 https://dbknews.com/contact-us/
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why grad school
thurgood marshall hall, which houses the School of Public Policy, on July 14, 2025. (kaya bogot/The Diamondback)
Here’s what brings graduate students to UMD By Amanda Sinofsky I Diversions reporter
Whether they attended this university for undergrad or became a Terp after earning their bachelor’s, graduate students at the University of Maryland decided to continue their studies for a variety of reasons. This university is home to more than 230 graduate programs and nearly 11,000 graduate students. Graduate students can either continue their education in College Park or attend another campus of this university. Here are some of the reflections graduate students had as they continue their studies. Joshua Chau was a recent graduate of this university and became a graduate student studying public policy. In his senior year at this university, he began to take graduate-level courses in order to complete both a bachelor’s and master’s in five years. Despite completing his bachelor’s degree in government and politics and history, Chau remained part of on-campus organizations, like the professional fraternity Kappa Omega Alpha. “There’s a lot of graduate students who are
still involved,” Chau said. “If they’re in a plus one program, they’re still involved with what they have done as an undergraduate.” But after starting graduate school, Chau said the circle of people he was around daily became a lot smaller. Alistair Morin graduated from Siena University with a degree in communication and marketing before coming to this university as a redshirt senior on the baseball team. Morin is studying human development and chose to attend this university for graduate school for both baseball and the size of the school. “There was a lot of things that we didn’t do at my old school,” Morin said. “I felt like this gave me a better chance getting out in the real world.” While some students opt to continue their education in a traditional graduate program, the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law in Baltimore offers a Juris Doctor, the professional degree needed to become a lawyer. Law school differs from graduate school
in that it focuses on the practical skills needed to practice law, while graduate school typically involves advanced academic training in a specific field. Meadow Santoriello decided to attend the law school after completing her criminology and criminal justice degree at this university. As a Maryland native, Santoriello decided to attend law school to both save some money and experience its positive environment. “I just had the Maryland pride,” Santoriello said. “[I] really liked the atmosphere when I toured the school.” Despite the heavy workload often associated with law school, Santoriello applauded the law program for keeping life very balanced. Pursuing a graduate degree after completing a bachelor’s is a way that many students continue learning about the field they are interested in, no matter what it is.
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glu GOALS
Here’s what UMD’s Graduate Labor Union hopes to accomplish this year By Hai-Ching Wang I Junior staff writer
Organizers in the University of Maryland’s Graduate Labor Union are hoping to navigate legislative hurdles, advocate for international student rights and build unity among students during this upcoming academic year. The Graduate Labor Union is a network of more than 4,000 graduate student workers aiming to unionize and address critical issues affecting graduate workers at this university. The group is seeking to form a recognized union under the United Auto Workers, which represents more than 100,000 workers in higher education across the U.S., and has connections with other academic unions across the country. Union organizers shared some of their upcoming plans with The Diamondback.
Clarifying THE UNIONIZATION BILL The Maryland General Assembly passed a bill in April allowing graduate assistants the right to collectively bargain, or negotiate for better employment terms, benefits or workplace environments with employers. But the state Senate’s amendments to the bill introduced several questions GLU organizers said they plan to address. The bill was originally applied across all University System of Maryland institutions, Morgan State University and St. Mary’s College of Maryland. But the final version signed into law by the governor now only applies to this university and the University of Mary-
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land, Baltimore County. It also delays the effective date for collective bargaining until July 2028. Ian Whitehouse, a computer science doctoral student and organizer with GLU, said this delay is a major setback, noting that certification and card campaign processes could potentially add another one or two years before bargaining can finally begin. Bramwell Shafer, a fifth-year physics doctoral student and volunteer organizer in GLU, said the legislation also includes ambiguous language regarding the status of research assistants. Senate amendments removed an exemption for graduate assistants as contingent employees whose positions are temporary and funded by a research contract or grant. According to
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glu GOALS
Whitehouse, this could remove research and graduate assistants from the union’s coverage. “Our understanding is that graduate students are not temporary workers who are funded only on one grant,” Whitehouse said. “We’re not temporary, and the university might say otherwise. And that’s why it’s important we have a better bill that says exactly who is what.” Both Whitehouse and Shafer said GLU members plan to return to Annapolis, when the legislative session begins in January, to lobby lawmakers for a more explicitly inclusive bill. In the meantime, they are building support on campus to encourage the university to voluntarily recognize the union without waiting for the 2028 start date.
Protecting international students Rohit Premlal, a third-year doctoral student and volunteer organizer with GLU, said the organization is also taking on initiatives to call on the university to protect international graduate students from possible federal visa changes. The federal government attempted to replace the flexible “duration of status” system for F-1 visas – granted to full-time academic international students – with a fixed period
of admission of at most four years on Sept. 15, requiring extensions to be requested directly through the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services instead of the university. The ruling is on pause after a federal court in Massachusetts issued a nationwide preliminary injunction on its implementation. Before the injunction, the university’s International Student and Scholar Services office had announced it would allow advance extensions for students whose eligibility forms showing nonimmigrant status for students expired before December 2027, according to the Graduate Labor Union. But the university did not allow advance applications for those with later program end dates. If the federal government’s proposal proceeds, many international students will inevitably need extensions because doctoral programs typically take five to seven years, Premlal said. GLU launched a petition with about 200 signatures in August, demanding the university process extensions for anyone who anticipates needing more time to finish their degree. Following the injunction, the university’s international student office announced it would, for now, return to its former practice of accepting extension requests during the semester a student’s visa is set to expire. Premlal said GLU does not have plans for
another petition yet, but is shifting its focus to organizing and building membership to urge the university into discussions with students.
Conducting bargaining surveys As GLU approaches its 2028 organizing timeline, it is distributing collective bargaining surveys to understand graduate workers’ priorities on issues such as wages, affordable housing, childcare and workload, according to Shafer. Beyond collecting data to inform future contract requirements, the surveys are a tool guiding conversations and boosting GLU’s visibility, Shafer said. Shafer said GLU plans to send these surveys to the university’s academic departments. The group hopes to strengthen its network and get workers at the university to talk more openly about their working conditions, he added. “Part of the point of this is to be able to actually force people into dialog with their coworkers,” Shafer said. “There’s nothing stronger for a union than complaining about your workplace.”
PROTESTERS STAND OUTSIDE of the Colony Ballroom in Stamp Student Union before the University Senate meeting to advocate for full payment for graduate student wages on March 6, 2025. (SAM COHEN/The Diamondback)
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NEW VISA RESTRICTIONS
International graduate students face challenges under new visa restrictions By Hai-Ching Wang I Junior staff writer
Susan-Ellis Dougherty, this university’s director of International Student & Scholar Services, submitted a declaration in support of the lawsuit shortly after it was filed. Dougherty wrote the university should expect disruptions to research and that the loss of international students and specialty programs will bring “irreparable harm” to the university. One-hundred percent of the university’s doctoral programs are designed to exceed four years, she wrote.
“
EACH LOST ENROLLMENT OF AN INTERNATIONAL STUDENT AND SCHOLAR LEAVES [THIS UNIVERSITY] WORSE OFF. - SUSAN-ELLIS DOUGHERTY
“
When Jim Edakkara began his second year as a graduate student at the University of Maryland, he was excited to continue his degree and take on a teaching assistant position. But on the first day of classes this semester, he learned he had lost his teaching position and one of the classes he was registered for had been canceled, both because of low student enrollment. “I also came here to have the college experience, and with such few students in class, it’s not as exciting as I was expecting it to be,” Edakkara said. In July, the Trump administration issued a new rule that international and exchange students can only be admitted to universities in the U.S. for the length of their program, which cannot exceed four years. The rule stated that once they graduate, international students would only have 30 days — down from 60 — to leave the country, transfer schools or change their visa status. The rule was billed by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security as strengthening “national security through regular vetting.” It was initially scheduled to take effect on Sept. 15, but was postponed after a federal court in Massachusetts issued a nationwide preliminary injunction on Sept. 14, temporarily blocking the rule’s activation pending further litigation. Edakkara, who is studying telecommunications, said he believes tighter visa restrictions have contributed to this year’s drop in enrollment. The university told The Diamondback on Sept. 14 that course offerings are subject to change during the add and drop period, but did not provide any other comment or clarify the reason for these specific cuts. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not respond to The Diamondback’s request for comment in time for publication. In August, Maryland joined a multistate lawsuit challenging the new restrictions. The lawsuit says that this university anticipates a decline of up to 30 percent in newly admitted graduate students for fall 2026, according to court documents. Enrollment of new international graduate students on an F-1 or J-1 visa dropped by about 38 percent last year, going from 1,305 students in fall 2024 to 807 in fall 2025, according to university data.
“Each lost enrollment of an international student and scholar leaves [this university] worse off,” her declaration read. “We miss out on talented teachers and researchers, we miss valued community members who enrich our academic and social lives as a community of learning, and, in many cases, we lose tuition dollars that help support our programs.” The university should also expect to aid students in filing hundreds more extension of stay requests every year, Dougherty wrote, increasing costs for things like application fees and travel for biometrics appointments and interviews. With a university recommendation, international students may file extension of stay petitions to request to stay in the U.S. for longer than their initial visa allows.
New restrictions, new struggles University departments and international students are now navigating several logistical issues because of the new restrictions. Anna Grigoreva, a fourth-year international educational policy graduate student, said renewing her visa annually may be difficult. Because she has to travel home in the summer to Russia, where her husband still lives, Grigoreva said she must apply and navigate requirements like a background check while abroad. “It’s not guaranteed, of course,” Grigoreva said. “Every single time you’re reconsidered.” Grigoreva, who is chair of the International Graduate Student Advisory Board, said fixed four-year limits do not reflect the academic realities of advanced research, especially in STEM-related fields. Student finances can also impact visa acquisition. F-1 visa holders, who are international students enrolled in a certified full-time academic program in the U.S., cannot work more than 20 hours per week on campus without being granted an exception by the Homeland Security Department, according to ICE. Off-campus employment is also generally restricted to university-approved work related to the student’s field of study. This makes tuition remission essential for many international students to meet Maryland’s cost of living standards. Tuition remission helps cover expenses for students employed by this university, like graduate assistants. “If you are completely broke, no F-1 visa will be issued for you,” Grigoreva said. “You have to show that you have enough money for renting an apartment and for staying in the state of Maryland.” Mabel Zúñiga, a second-year public policy graduate student from Panama, said support from government programs made her experience enrolling at this university easier compared to other international students. Zúñiga attends this university through a Fulbright U.S. Student Program scholarship. The U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Embassy in Panama also helped her obtain a visa, she said. Studying in the U.S. has provided her with
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NEW VISA RESTRICTIONS
networking and educational opportunities that she wouldn’t have had in Panama, she said. “Being in the U.S. and being able to receive a first-class education … is a great privilege,” Zúñiga said. Zeena Zakharia, an associate education professor, said many departments are discussing new program options to adhere to the four-year visa time frame. “It’s not ideal. You need five years to do good work and develop your expertise,” Zakharia said. “But maybe there are ways that we need to rethink our programs.” As regulations tighten, international students may have to explore alternative options. Grigoreva said she’d spoken to some international students who cannot apply for a job or stay in the U.S. and are instead considering pursuing degrees in Canada. Edakkara said there is also growing popularity for online graduate programs. This university’s International Student & Scholar Services team offers support and resources for international students amid the changing regulation landscape, this university told The Diamondback in a Sept. 8 statement. “Our international students, faculty and staff are a vital part of our university,” this university wrote in the statement. “We remain committed to providing updated information and resources.”
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glu history
community members gather for the Graduate Labor Union practice picket on McKeldin Mall on Feb. 26, 2025. (alexa yang/The Diamondback)
history of the graduate labor union, in pictures By Galya Diamond-Berman I Historian
(Nene Narh-Mensah/The Diamondback)
(Neelay Sachdeva/The Diamondback)
(JOE RYAN/The Diamondback)
(TANEEN MOMENI/The Diamondback)