Although international security measures have increased following Sept. 11, making the process more difficult, the United States has not closed its doors to students coming from abroad.

While the process that a student must go through to obtain international status remains straightforward, extensive background checks have become more common and thorough.

Masume Assaf, associate director of the Office of International Students and Scholars (OISS), said a foreign student who wishes to obtain a visa to study at Penn State begins by applying to the school just like any U.S. citizen.

Once it accepts the student, the school then determines if that student has enough money to cover tuition and living expenses.

The OISS would then issue a certificate of immigration Form I-20 or DS-2019 to that student, who must then provide that form, a passport, financial information and proof of admission to the school to a U.S. consulate. At that point, the student is evaluated for a visa that will allow him or her to study at the school.

The visa process itself, however, can be the longest and most problematic for international students; the process has become especially thorough in the post-Sept. 11 world. International Student Council President Raya Guruswamy said he has noticed an increase in visa security.

"They are much tighter. Sometimes, it can be a put-off, but you know you have to get it done. You understand where they're coming from, though," said Guruswamy, a native of India who grew up in Nigeria. "You have to be determined. I think visa denials are more common just because they're so much stricter."

Assaf said after the student fills out three "lengthy" applications, the consulate will check his or her validity and confirm the student's identity. His or her name is then sent through a database that checks for any criminal or terrorist history, or any arrest in general. If the name shows up, the consulate is required to perform more checks.

Other security checks concern the student's major and country of origin. The academic advisers said some majors, including nuclear engineering and landscape architecture, are more sensitive because of the potential for security risks in the information studied.

And coming from particular countries, such as those on the state-sponsored terrorist list -- Cuba, North Korea, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Sudan and Libya -- might also present a risk that could slow down the process. But it does not mean that students from those areas cannot apply.

"Not only do we have people apply from those countries, they're getting visas and coming," Assaf said. "Penn State accepts students because of their academic qualities, not where they live."

She added that almost every department and major contains some international students.

There is also a requirement that international students prove a genuine intent to return home once they are finished. If a student has several relatives living in the United States, for example, he or she might have no reason to want to leave, Assaf said. For this, or any other reason, a consulate officer can deny admission.

"Part of the definition in this category is that you're supposed to be a student with the intent to leave the United States after studying," International Student Adviser Gilbert Friedman said. "Sometimes an officer will not believe that."

Assaf said she thinks the difficulty of the visa process might keep some students from pursuing international education, and the increased security that comes along with it is a direct result of Sept. 11. But Guruswamy said students could overcome the problem with persistence.

"What it does do is make life a little more difficult," he said.