A growing number of international students are playing high-level sports in college. And since 2021, college athletes have been permitted to make money through product sponsorships and commercials. Some of the most well-known college athletes are now able to make hundreds of thousands of dollars or more. Such deals are called Name, Image and Likeness, or NIL deals. But the situation is different for student athletes who are not U.S. citizens. That is because they are in the country on a student visa that does not permit them to work. Some international students become well known in the U.S. because they play on famous sports teams, like the men’s basketball team at the University of Kentucky. A recent study showed that international students make up about 12 percent of the athletes at NCAA Division I colleges. Division I is the top level of college sports. Based on 2020 numbers, that means there were 14,000 international students playing Division I sports. Basketball teams are made up of mostly international students at some universities. The student visa only has rules limiting work in the United States. So, some international student athletes have found ways to make NIL money when they travel out of the county.