Spring Admits

 Welcome!

Please read and apply this information carefully as it will answer many of your questions!

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Paying your deposit:

To officially accept JMU's offer of admission and start your pre-arrival steps, you must pay a deposit. Refer yourself to the acceptance packet you received from the Admissions Office.

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Pre-Arrival Steps:

Every new students

1. Are required to complete all of the One Book steps. Freshmen must complete the Freshmen OneBook and Transfers must complete the Transfer OneBook to ensure that JMU is ready for your arrival. [Complete these steps even if the deadlines are past due]
2. Must plan their arrival in Harrisonburg/JMU on or before Sunday, January 6. Make sure to read the "Plan your trip wisely and accordingly" section.
3. Are strongly advised to read the remaining information found as it will answer many if not most of your questions, and concerns.

If you have any questions concerning the One Book and/or the general steps that you must take care of, please contact Thomas Lavenir.

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Orientation:

A special international student orientation (Transitions) has been developed to address some of the information and opportunities that you need to know as well as to enable you to transition here at JMU. Unlike the December orientation, every new international students must attend Transitions. It will address immigration requirements for maintaining your temporary status, as well as health insurance, classroom issues, safety, transportation and resources for internationals, and the information that you will have missed by not attending the December Transfer Orientation on Friday December 7th, 2012. A campus tour, shopping trips, opening a bank account, as well as issuing you your new JMU card (JAC Card) are also part of the agenda. You will also make new friends, and get answers to your questions. In addition you will meet with your academic advisor who will explain academic requirements and go over the schedule of classes you will be taking during the Spring semester. Transitions will take place Sunday, January 6. More specific informationregarding the location, timing and a schedule will be sent to you directly

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Plan your trip wisely and accordingly:

special early move-in day for international students has been arranged for Sunday, January 6 (as early as 9am), so that you can participate fully in Transitions (international student orientation) which begins on Sunday, January 6 at 12pm (noon).

The International Student and Scholar Services office will provide a special JMU bus from Washington DC International Airport [IAD] to JMU on Sunday January 6 at 9am. To take advantage of this special service (this one and only time to ensure that you attend Transitions), make sure to complete this online Arrival Form no later than December 20th. The JMU Bus will be picking up JMU students from the DoubleTree by Hilton Sterling - Dulles Airport. A special rate of $69 per night has been arranged for anyone staying over in this hotel [Follow this link to make sure to that you receive the Study Group rate]. The DoubleTree By Hilton Sterling hotel provides a free courtesy bus to and from the airport! 

If you should need to arrive earlier in Harrisonburg, you should consider taking a connecting flight to Staunton/ Shenandoah Regional Airport [SHD] as there is no convenient and cheap way to get from IAD to Harrisonburg at this time of the year. Once in Harrisonburg, we recommend that you stay at the Best Western hotel. Due to its convenient location and the special JMU rate of $60 [make sure to ask for or to mention: JMU student rate]. 

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Classes & Credits :

You will be registered for 4-6 classes or 12-16 credits (is the recommended number of credits for ALL new students at JMU) for your first semester prior to your arrival. All students at JMU regardless of major must complete all general education requirements in order to graduate from JMU. Some of the requirements in General Education may be similar or count for your intended major, some may not. Regardless, all students must complete general education. The classes selected for you for your first semester will be based on the cluster one and five preferences you indicate as well as your math placement test and TOEFL scores and any other college level credit you have received.

If you are a transfer student, in order for your advisor to be able to work with you to determine appropriate classes, the university must have an official copy of your college level work completed outside JMU. If you have completed university/college level work at a university outside the United States, you must submit your transcript to one of the following credential services approved by James Madison University.

GCE – Global Credential Evaluators P.O. Box 36 28 Westhampton way Richmond, VA 23173 Phone: 1 (804) 639 3660 E-mail: jringer@mail.myriad.net

WES - Worl Education Services, Inc. P.O. Box 57026 Washington, DC 20037-7206 Phone: 1 (202) 331 2925 Fax: 1 (202) 331-2927 E-mail: de@wes.org

James Madison University 
800 S Main St - MSC 0101
Harrisonburg, VA 22807 - USA

Please keep in mind that the university may not be able to count all previous college/university work you have completed toward specific requirements in your major, minor, general education or degree requirements.

Questions:

• If you are a transfer student, contact JoAnn Benjamin.
• If you are a freshman, contact Heather Patterson.

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Housing :

In order to be eligible to live on campus, you must sign a housing contract. Once you have signed a housing contract you may opt to participate in exciting theme housing options. If you are an upperclass student only, you may choose to live off-campus. You can get started by going to JMU's Off-Campus Life website. The Office of International Programs may be able to provide some assistance in finding off-campus housing.

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Health Record Form:

The office of International Programs will be collecting the JMU Health Record Form during Transitions. Click here to obtain different translated versions of the vaccination page. Should you require some vaccinations, note that you can get vaccinations at the Student Health Center by making an appointment and paying a small fee… however, you need to make sure that all of your vaccination requirements, check-up and your doctor or health practitioner’s signature is taken care before you arrive to JMU, since it is crucial that the Health center receives your health record

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Health Insurance:

All JMU international students are required to have health insurance. You will be automatically enrolled in the CISI- Cultural Insurance services International health insurance plan unless you show us proof that you have you are enrolled in a health insurance plan (by presenting your insurance card and policy to Gina Kudrav once you are on campus).

Currently each student is billed approximately $104 per month and coverage starts on December 15th . It does not cover preventative costs such as physicals, shots or teeth cleaning. CISI's policy is written specifically for international students and is valid here in the U.S. as well as anywhere else in the world. If you need to go to the hospital or doctor, you will need to present your insurance card first and you will need to pay a deductible of $50. To be reimbursed for medical care outside the JMU Health Center, you will need to submit a completed claim form and receipts from payments made to the doctor or medical facility.

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Tuition & Payment:

To obtain an estimated breakdown of the expenses that you can expect as a JMU student, go to t the University Business Office’s website. Please note that the cost of textbooks (approximately $300/semester), for example, is not included!

To view your bill, you need to login to QuickBill by accessing it on e-campus (for students). QuikBill provides you and your family with instant access to your student account charges. QuikBill is currently configured so that the student is the only who can view and pay his or her bill online through this system. If a family member or sponsor of that student needs access to QuikBill, the student will need to enable this individual to view and/or pay the bill by creating an account for this individual. Also through QuickBill, an installment payment plan can be set-up. To make payments towards your tuition and bills, you can:

• wire funds to JMU. All funds need to be in U.S. dollars and sent to:
  • Wells Fargo Bank, N.A.
    420 Montgomery Street, 7th Fl.
    San Francisco, CA 94104-1298
    ABA Number: 121000248
    Swift Code: WFBIUS6S
    Chips Participants Code: 0407
    Account Number: 91930000000000002
    Checking Account Name: JMU Concentration Depository
    Cage Number: OE9W6
    EIN Number: 546001756
    Originator to Beneficiary Info: Include Student's Name and Student ID Number for identification of recipient
    Electronic Funds Coordinator: Tammy L Kiser - (540) 568-7907
• pay online by credit card. [Please note that JMU handles MasterCard, American Express or the Discovery card only].
• Set-up a bank account in the U.S. This will facilitate the transfer of funds from your home country to the U.S. You will then be able to write checks and/or transfer money directly from your bank account to your JMU student account online. A trip to the downtown Bank of America will be scheduled during the first or second week of classes .

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Don't Forget

Bring your completed and signed Health Record Form. Without it you will be unable to attend classes.

In the winter we have snow and ice. You will want a warm coat to wear as you walk between classes on campus. The normal winter temperature is in the range of 30-40 degrees Fahrenheit (around 0 degrees Celsius) although, it can get as cold as 10-20 degrees Fahrenheit (around -15 degrees Celsius).

Bring a few items that remind you of home (pictures, crafts, clothing, sports equipment, etc.) and to share with other students, including traditional clothes. You will have several opportunities throughout the year to showcase your culture and country.

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Advice

Allow plenty of time to say good-bye and plan how to keep in touch. You will be extremely busy during your first weeks and months, so it is important that you explain to your family and friends that long periods between communications should not alarm them. It will all be part of this new adventure.

Organize your passport and all of your visa documents and supporting documents in one place on your person, not in your checked luggage so that they are easy to find and manage. Make sure that you have your: (a) valid passport with proper, currently valid stamp; (b) form I-20 or DS-2019; (c) evidence of funding as appropriate to the visa classification and your intended activities in the U.S.; (d) contact information for the International Student and Scholar Services; (e) your SEVIS receipt.

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Whom should I 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.

Heather Patterson [for Freshmen] regarding math placement tests, course scheduling, major preferences, general education and any other academic questions.

JoAnn Benjamin [for Transfer students] regarding math placement tests, course scheduling, major preferences, general education and any other academic questions.

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