Waukesha County Technical College officials have been left wondering where three international students have gone after the college reported them missing earlier last year.

According to James Rehagen, WCTC special projects manager to the president, three international students from Egypt stopped attending classes in mid-November.

When the students failed to respond to the college’s attempts to contact them, the college notified the Waukesha Police Department about the situation, Rehagen said in an e-mail to The Badger Herald.

Waukesha Police Captain Dennis Angle said the appearance of their apartment made it look like they had left on their own.

“It looks more like absconding than missing,” Angle said.

The public did not become aware of the missing students until mid-December because the college felt announcing the information might not be a responsible decision, Rehagen said.

“We did not make a public announcement because after consultations with the authorities, it was decided that such an announcement might be counter-productive to their research and premature,” Rehagen said.

Rehagen said the students were part of an international study program developed by the Community Colleges for International Development that requires them to be full time students in order to remain in the United States.

He added this is the first time the college has ever had international students leave the college before the end of their program.

“Over the years, WCTC has been involved in various international study programs, and we have never had a situation like this. There were no indications or reports of any issues while these students were enrolled at the college, and we can’t speculate on the situation or any possible consequences of the students,” Rehagen said in reference to a statement previously released by WCTC President Barbara Prindiville.

Carol Stax-Brown, spokesperson for the CCID, said the program the students were involved in is very unique compared to other international study programs and the first of its kind in that it recruits students from tribal areas of underdeveloped countries.

She said a contingency of the program is that students must return to their homeland at the end of the program.

Angle said the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement is now handling the case.