This information applies to International Students Only
High standards of English language proficiency are required for nonnative English speaking graduate students who are appointed to teaching assistant (TA) positions.
All nonnative English speaking graduate Teaching Assistants (TAs) must demonstrate proficiency in spoken English appropriate to the demands of their teaching assistantship. Proficiency is assessed in one of the following ways:
English Language Proficiency (ELP) rating earned through coursework with the Center for Educational Innovation (CEI);
Speaking section of TOEFL iBT (internet-based Test of English as a Foreign Language).
SETTA (Spoken English Test for Teaching Assistants) test (TC campus) or alternative test chosen by system campuses.
Contacts
Primary Contact(s)
Jeff Lindgren (lindg027@umn.edu)
Registration for the SETTA test
Barbara Beers (beers003@umn.edu)
Setting Up a US Bank Account
It is recommended that students who are hired as RAs, TAs, or receive fellowships open a U.S. bank account. There are several options near campus:
Social Security Number
All international students that are employed by the U of M or through internships will need to obtain a Social Security Number (SSN). Incoming students should obtain their SSN by December 31st if holding employment during their first semester.
The social security office requires students to go to their office in-person to get the SSN. ISSS provides detailed instructions for the SSN process HERE.
For students coming from outside the US, you'll want to initiate this process as soon as you arrive in the US.
UMN New (International) Graduate Students - UMANG
New international students are invited to join UMANG's Facebook group--a large portion of students in this group are from CSE.