APC Policy

To support editorial management, peer review coordination, production, and digital dissemination, the Journal of International Students (JIS) applies an Article Processing Charge (APC) for manuscripts submitted on or after January 1, 2024.

There is no fee for manuscript submission. APCs are applied only after a manuscript has been accepted following a rigorous, independent double-blind peer review process. APCs are invoiced after final acceptance and prior to publication.

APC Rates

  • Standard Rate: USD $2,500
  • Student Rate: USD $500
    (applicable when a student is listed as the first author)
  • Special Issue Rate: 50% discount on the standard APC (USD $1,250)
    (applicable to manuscripts accepted as part of an approved special issue)

APCs cover costs associated with editorial processing, peer review management, copyediting, typesetting, and online publication.

Equity, Waivers, and Author Support

JIS is committed to ensuring that financial limitations do not prevent the publication of high-quality scholarship.

Authors without institutional or external funding may apply for APC support through the Scholars in Need program. This program offers:

  • partial discounts
  • full or partial waivers (in select cases)

Priority consideration is given to:

  • graduate students and early-career researchers
  • authors from under-resourced institutions
  • researchers based in low- and middle-income countries

Authors are encouraged to request APC support at the time of submission or upon acceptance. All requests are reviewed independently and applied in a fair and non-discriminatory manner. APC support decisions do not influence editorial outcomes.

The Humane Letters Grant provides APC support to JIS authors. Authors may submit an online application to request partial or full assistance with Article Processing Charges (APCs) based on demonstrated financial need. Priority is given to graduate students, early-career researchers, and authors from under-resourced institutions. All applications are reviewed independently, and grant decisions are made separately from the peer review process and do not influence editorial outcomes.

Policy and Transparency

  • APCs are charged only after acceptance
  • Payment or waiver requests have no impact on peer review or editorial decisions
  • Manuscripts submitted prior to January 1, 2024 were processed under the journal’s previous no-fee model
  • All editorial decisions are based solely on scholarly merit and peer review

Institutional Partnerships

Authors affiliated with partner institutions may be eligible for reduced or waived APCs through institutional agreements. Institutions interested in partnership opportunities may contact: contact@jistudents.org

Author Rights and Archiving

Authors may deposit and share their published articles in non-commercial institutional repositories or other open-access platforms in accordance with the journal’s licensing policy. All articles are published under a Creative Commons license; please refer to the Licensing page for full details.