"University officials must report international students who fail to arrive on campus or miss class regularly."
I don't know the arrival dates for foreign students, do they have to report to an 'advisor' prior to classes starting? I'd think they'd want to give them all those touchy-feely classes prior to the sememster starting. If they 'miss class regularly', than, that's a different situation.
But near the end, the article states:
"The plan was uncovered in its early stages, and sources say there is no indication that the suspects made it into the United States
So, it appears as if they missed their reporting to school date.
In August, the FBI and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement alerted intelligence agencies and state and local law enforcement about 11 Egyptian students who had failed to report to their classes at Montana State University.