New Students

Greetings and congratulations on your acceptance to James Madison University (JMU)! The International Student and Scholar Services office is looking forward to greeting and welcoming you in person. You may understand that you must arrive on JMU's campus towards the end of August but the specific details may be very unclear. Furthermore, you and your family members may have many questions related to where you will be living, what the weather will be like, where the nearest airport is located, etc. Knowing exactly what you need to do and sorting it out is overwhelming. Having to do so from a different country is an even more daunting task. Rest assured that we are familiar with the obstacles and challenges that you are facing. For this reason, we have broken down the information in terms of what steps you need to take to meet all pertinent requirements, the dates by which each step should be completed, and general information for how to prepare for your arrival. Make sure to read the Pre-Arrival section and the Orientation section below carefully!

Pre-Arrival Steps

While the end of August may seem like a long time from now, it will be there before you know it. You have accomplished the major steps of being accepted to college. Now that you have been accepted, there are still a few more steps that you need to take to ensure that JMU is ready for your arrival! These steps are specific to your status, therefore you will need to select the category that best suits your situation:

• If you are a new first-year (Freshman) student, click: here
• If you are a new transfer student, click: here
• if you are a new exchange student, click: here
• If you are a new graduate student, click: here

Orientation

As you may realize, several orientation programs at JMU are offered to ensure that you obtain all of the necessary information. We have clarified below the differences between these orientation programs and their relevance to you.

The first orientation program is the Summer Springboard Orientation which is offered throughout the month of June and July for all new first-year and transfer students. We realize that most international students are outside and country and unable to attend this orientation. You are welcome to come to this orientation if you are able to make the trip. However, do not worry if you are unable to attend.

Since most of you are unable to attend the Summer Springboard Orientation program, the International Student and Scholar Services office has devised a special orientation program called Transitions. This orientation will cover the information shared to others during the Summer Springboard orientation and will also include information specific to your international student status on this campus. Therefore all first-year international students, including graduate, undergraduate, exchange and transfer students, are required to attend this special international orientation. You will receive information about U.S. immigration law and how to comply with legal responsibilities, as well as culture specific matters meant to promote a smoother transition for you in regards to life on JMU's campus, and in the surrounding area. Transitions always begins on the Monday before the August campus-wide new student orientation. Make sure to check the Transitions' site to: (1) obtain a complete Transitions schedule, (2) fill out the Transitions Arrival Form.

In addition to the special international orientation, all undergraduate and transfer students are expected to attend the August campus-wide "1787" orientation in the days immediately following Transitions.

Questions

If you are still unclear as to what you need to do please feel free to contact:

• Thomas Lavenir- for information related to Transitions and to the different steps that you need to fulfill.

• Gina Kudrav- for information related to immigration and visas

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