International Student Information

• International students must pay careful attention to visa requirements at all times.

• The University of Minnesota International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) is the only group authorized to approve and monitor visa documents.

  • Temporary housing is available for international students admitted for Fall 2017. Details on page 12 here.

• ISSS requires 1) an on-line orientation prior to arrival, and 2) an in-person document check upon arrival. Registration is only allowed after both of these are complete.

  • English Language speaking requirement

    • One of your degree requirements is that you complete a teaching experience.

    • To be eligible for full teaching responsibilities, you must obtain an ELP rating of 1.

    • If English is not your first language, check the "Speaking" sub-score on your TOEFL test and compare it to the chart here.

    • Note that if your TOEFL speaking score is less than 27, you will need to take an exam at the University of Minnesota (SETTA) and/or be required to take a full semester course before you will be allowed to teach. It is advisable to take this course early in your program. Accordingly, find out your ranking early, discuss with your advisor, and plan to take the SETTA late in your first semester so that you can take any required courses in your second semester.

• • Check out the Global Gopher Events here.

• Important links to explore:

o ISSS website

o ISSS Required on-line orientation (Global Gopher Online Orientation)

o ISSS Arrival Guide

o ISSS Family Resource Guide