Any Texas A&M University student who is not a U.S. Citizen or Lawful Permanent Resident is considered to be an international student. All international students are required to attend the International Student Check-In with ISS. All international students who are non-immigrant visa holders (i.e. F-1, J-1, H-4, and others) must also attend an International Student Orientation and pay the orientation fee. Those international students who are not non-immigrant visa holders are not required to pay for or attend the International Student Orientation. Such students are welcome to attend the Orientation if they so choose.

The International Student Orientation is intended to provide students with useful information about International Student Services (ISS), Texas A&M University and non-immigrant regulations. The purpose of the International Student Check-In is to confirm that students have arrived in the U.S. and are complying with federal regulations. Prior to their arrival, all international students are blocked from course registration. Students must attend Check-In in order to have the registration hold removed. Students must also attend Check-In before they can be approved for On-Campus Employment. Non-immigrant students must attend Orientation in order to attend Check-In.

Click here to complete the Online Orientation

BHE = Bizzell Hall East

MSC = Memorial Student Center

RT = Rudder Tower

SCC = Student Computing Center

TBD = To Be Determined

Semester	Event	Date(s)	Location
Spring	Orientation	January 7	RT
	Check-In	January 8	TBD
	Late Check-In (Available only for students unable to attend Regular Check-In. All non-immigrant students must complete the Online Orientation prior to arriving for their Late Check-In appointment.)	TBD	BHE
Summer	Orientation	May 18	TBD
	Check-In	May 19	TBD
	Late Check-In (Available only for students unable to attend Regular Check-In. All non-immigrant students must complete the Online Orientation prior to arriving for their Late Check-In appointment.)	TBD	BHE
Fall	New Student Conference Pre-Conference Day Check-Ins (Available only for undergraduate students on the day prior to their New Student Conference)	June 2, 14, 16, 21, 23, 28, 30 July 5, 7, 12, 14, 19	BHE
	Early Check-In (Available for any interested international student who reserves an appointment online. Space is limited.)	TBD	BHE
	Orientation	August 16 or 17	TBD
	Regular Check-In	August 18, 19, or 20	SCC
	Late Check-In (Available only for students unable to attend Regular Check-In. All non-immigrant students must complete the Online Orientation prior to arriving for their Late Check-In appointment.)	TBD	BHE

Parking: University Center Parking Garage, Central Campus Parking Garage

When you arrive at Orientation, ISS will confirm that you have registered for that particular session. You will be assigned a Check-In date and time upon your departure from Orientation. If you lose your Check-In time card, you will Check-In during the very last time slot. You may trade your Check-In time card with another student to obtain a preferred time. Check-In will take at least one hour to complete. Please do not arrive at Check-In until your assigned time.

International students who will first enroll at Texas A&M University for the Spring 2010 semester will attend Orientation on Thursday, January 7, 2010 and Check-In on Friday, January 8, 2010. Early Check-In appointments will not be available for the Spring 2010 semester. Late Check-In appointments may be available, but will not be posted until January. If you are a non-immigrant visa holder and are unable to attend Orientation, you will be required to complete the Online Orientation in order to attend Check-In.

• Spring 2010 Orientation Agenda
• Registration for Spring 2010 Orientation

Students planning to live on-campus for the Spring 2010 semester should be aware that the residence halls will open on Thursday, January 14, 2010 at 8:00am. This is one week after the International Student Orientation on Thursday, January 7, 2010. It is your responsibility to find temporary housing prior to moving on-campus. For information about temporary housing opportunities, please visit the ISS Housing webpage or the Convention and Visitors Bureau’s List of Area Hotels. Unfortunately, the International Student Hostel is only available prior to the Fall semester and will not be available in January.

Students may request an early move-in date for their on-campus residence hall by sending an e-mail to the Housing Assignments Office (housing@tamu.edu ) with your full name, UIN, reason for wanting to move in early, and the date that you would like to move-in. The absolute earliest day that students may move-in to their residence halls is Tuesday, January 12, 2010 at 8:00am. All students arriving prior to January 12th will need to find off-campus temporary accommodations until you are permitted to move-in. In order to move-in to your residence hall on either January 12th or 13th, you must submit a request to the Housing Assignments Office. Exceptions will be handled and approved on a case-by-case basis. Students are not guaranteed to obtain approval for early move-in. If approved to move in early, you will be charged a per night rate for moving into your residence hall. The total charge will depend upon the style of residence hall and the number of nights you are there early. Remember, it is the student's responsibility to secure housing for the duration of the student's time here at Texas A&M.

• Information about the Summer 2010 Orientation should be posted by late April 2010
• The Agenda for the Summer 2010 Orientation will be posted in May 2010
• Registration for the Summer 2010 Orientation will be available by May 2010

• Information about the Fall 2010 Orientation should be posted by late June 2010
• The Agenda for the Fall 2010 Orientation will be posted in July 2010
• Registration for the Fall 2010 Orientation will be available by July 2010

• Visit the Beutel Health Center to provide proof of tuberculosis skin testing.
• If you have a job on-campus, make sure that your payroll representative has entered you into the Employment Eligibility Certification (EEC) system.
• Purchase approved health insurance (see ISS website for requirements details) with coverage at least from January 19 – May 15, 2010.
• Check the Howdy Portal for registration holds and try to resolve them before your Check-In appointment
• Bringing photocopies of your documents along with the originals will speed up your Check-In process.

You must bring the following original documents with you to Check-In. ISS will make copies of these original documents during Check-In. Bringing photocopies of your documents along with the originals will speed up your Check-In process.

Student Type	Documents Required
All F-1 and J-1 Visa Holders	Original I-20/DS-2019 Certificate of Eligibility (stamped at the port of entry) for the student and any dependents Original passport, visa, and I-94 card (issued at the port of entry) for the student and any dependents Proof of health insurance coverage J-1 students are also required to show proof of health insurance coverage for any dependents
Transfer F-1 and J-1 Visa Holders	Bring the documents mentioned above as well as the following: If you have not received an I-20 or DS-2019 from Texas A&M, please bring please bring all documents pending with the Certificate of Eligibility Center (CEC), as listed in the Howdy Portal.
House Bill 1403 / Senate Bill 1528 Students	Bring all documents (if available) regarding your current immigration status, including any of the following: Picture ID card Passport, visa, I-94 card I-20/DS-2019 Proof of health insurance coverage
Dependents of Primary Visa Holders	New students who are dependents with the visa status of F-2, J-2, L-2, or H-4 must bring immigration documents for themselves as well as the primary visa holder (spouse or parent). Generally this includes the I-20/DS-2019, passport, visa, and I-94 card. Also bring proof of health insurance coverage.
Other Primary Visa Holders	New students who hold any other visa category should bring all documents related to their immigration status, including the passport, visa, and I-94 card. Also bring proof of health insurance coverage.