Graduate and Professional Students

INTERNATIONAL GRADUATE AND
PROFESSIONAL STUDENTS
ORIENTATION INFORMATION
SPRING 2015
Dear Students,
Welcome to the University of Houston! The following information will guide you through the mandatory
procedures described below:
1) International Student Check-in:
All new and transfer international students are required to check-in through International Student and
Scholar Services (ISSS). You must also attend International Student Orientation. Without doing so, you
will not be able to register for classes at the University of Houston. Please follow these instructions
carefully.
CHECK-IN PROCESS
You will have a “Service Indicator” (Hold) on your https://my.uh.edu PeopleSoft record that blocks your
registration for classes at the University of Houston. To remove that hold, you must check-in (go to the
location indicated for one of the check-in sessions listed below) with the Office of International Student
and Scholar Services (OISSS) and present proof of admission, proof of your legal visa status, including
passport, visa, I-94 (if issued to you), UH I-20 and any previous I-20 forms (F visa holders), DS-2019 form
for attendance at UH and any previous DS-2019 forms (J visa holders) and I-797 Approval Notice, if
applicable.
NOTE: You are encouraged to report to the University of Houston as soon as possible in order to have a
better selection of classes.
Please attend one of the following International Student Check-in Sessions:
Date
Tuesday, January 6
Friday, January 9
Tuesday, January 13
Time
8:30 am – 11:30 am, OR
1:00 pm – 4:00 pm
8:30 am – 11:30 am, OR
1:00 pm – 4:00 pm
8:30 am – 11:30 am, OR
1:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Location
University Center,
East Ballroom, Room 210
University Center,
East Ballroom, Room 210
University Center, North
Senate Chamber, Room 204
Please bring the following items with you to Check-In:
F-1 Visa Students
F-1 visa students who are arriving from outside of the U.S. should bring their letter of acceptance, the
I-20 form issued by the University of Houston, their passport, visa and their I-94 arrival/ departure
record (if issued to you).
F-1 visa students who are inside the US and are transferring from another U.S. school should bring their
letter of acceptance, the I-20 issued by the University of Houston (if already issued), all I-20 forms
previously issued by former school(s), passport, and I-94 arrival/departure record (if issued to you).
J-1 Visa Students
J-1 visa students who are arriving from outside of the U.S. should bring their letter of acceptance, the
DS-2019 form issued for attendance at the University of Houston, all DS-2019/ IAP-66 forms previously
issued by former school(s), passport and I-94 arrival/departure record (if issued to you).
J-1 visa students who are inside the US and are transferring from another U.S. school should bring their
letter of acceptance, all DS-2019 or IAP-66 forms previously issued by your previous school(s), passport,
visa, I-94 arrival/departure record (if issued to you), and if already issued, the UH DS-2019.
Student with Other Visas
Students holding a visa status other than F-1 or J-1 should bring their letter of acceptance, evidence of
current visa status, I-94 arrival/departure record (if issued to you), passport and visa.
Please note: B-1, B-2 and F-2 visa holders wishing to engage in studies at UH must first apply for and
obtain a change of nonimmigrant classification to F-1.
Students Pending Permanent Residency
Students pending Permanent Residency are considered international students until their Permanent
Residency is approved. If you are pending Permanent Residency please bring your passport and I-485
receipt.
2) International Student Orientation
Orientation to the University of Houston and to American culture will be provided January 14 and 15.
The sessions will cover restrictions and benefits to your visa status, the academic system and student
services offered at the University of Houston, as well as American friendship patterns, language and
cultural adjustment. You will have the opportunity to ask questions about things you have encountered
and did not understand. You will be able to meet students from your home country, as well as other
international students.
SEVIS Fee
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security requires first-time F-1 and J-1 students to pay an I-901 SEVIS
Fee to them. The fee is $200 for F-1 visa applicants and $180 for J-1 visa applicants. For more
information and instructions, please visit www.fmjfee.com.
Social Security Card Applications
You are required to have a social security card if you are authorized to work on campus. For information
on F-1 visa procedures, visit: http://www.uh.edu/oisss/finances/ssn-information/.
For J-1 visa students, please see the following information: http://www.uh.edu/oisss/scholars/for-j1research-scholars-and-professors/j1-employment-ssn-letter/
Health Insurance
Nonimmigrant international students will be charged automatically for health insurance. The effective
start date for health insurance charged by the University of Houston for newly arriving international
students for the Spring 2015 semester is January 6, 2015. Should you arrive and need coverage prior to
January 6, 2015 there are many travel policies such as those offered by International Medical Group
(www.imglobal.com ) that can be purchased online to provide temporary coverage until January 6, 2015.
Information about eligibility requirements, the deadline, and the procedure to request a waiver of the
health insurance fee are available at the following link: http://www.uh.edu/healthcenter/insurance/
The policy with proof of acceptable alternate insurance must be submitted with the waiver application.
At this time your alternate health insurance policy must offer coverage that is comparable to or greater
than the following criteria: (1) at least $50,000 in acceptable medical benefits for each accident or
sickness; (2) at least $10,000 for medical evacuation, (3) at least $7,500 for repatriation (A nominal
charge will be added to your student account for Repatriation and Medical Evacuation benefits if they
are not included in an otherwise acceptable policy), (4) Covered benefits paid at a minimum of 75%; and
(5) annual deductible not to exceed $500. (A Health Care Spending account is not acceptable as an
alternative.) Policy should not exclude or unreasonably limit coverage for activities essential for
students.
Waiver procedures and deadline information are available at:
http://www.uh.edu/healthcenter/insurance/ The Official Reporting Day (ORD) as posted on the
academic calendar for EACH FALL, SPRING, AND SUMMER SEMESTER is the last day to waive insurance.
No waiver will be accepted after that date. The UH endorsed student health insurance available to UH
international students is currently $746 for spring/summer 2015. Dependents of J-1 exchange visitors
must also be covered during the period of participation in the sponsor’s program. These rates are
subject to change. For more details about health insurance requirements please see the following link:
http://www.uh.edu/healthcenter/insurance/.
International Student Services Fee
A fee of $85 per semester and $50 per six week summer session of enrollment is charged to support
special services to international students holding nonimmigrant visas and those pending permanent
residency.
Bacterial Meningitis Vaccination Requirement
Beginning January 2014, Texas State Law (Senate Bill 1107) mandated that all entering college/university
students under the age of 22 provide evidence of vaccination against bacterial meningitis or meet
certain criteria for declining the vaccination prior to the start of your first semester here. All newly
admitted students and students returning to the university after an absence of at least one long
semester will be required to comply with the Meningitis Vaccination Law. Official information and
updates regarding the new law can be found on at the following website,
http://www.uh.edu/immunization
ARRIVAL IN HOUSTON:
Free airport pickup may be available between the hours of 9:00 am and 6:00 pm from Tuesday, January 6
through Friday, January 9,2015.
Please fill our Airport Pick up Form online. OISSS must receive your request by December 12, 2014.
(After you complete the online application form, you should receive an automatic reply indicating we have
received your request)
Please note: We will do our best to have a community volunteer meet you at the airport; if we are unable
to get a volunteer, you will need to take a taxi-cab or the Super Shuttle from the airport to your
dormitory. We will let you know either way about a week before your arrival.
If you are a graduate student from India coming to study at UH, the Graduate Indian Student Organization
(GISO) here at UH offers airport pick-up service for you.
You should request airport pick up assistance with GISO at GISO Pickup, click on New Students, then click
on Pickups.
If a community volunteer is assigned to you, he or she will meet you at the specific airport of arrival, and
will be holding a sign with your name on it.
If, after you e-mail a request for this airport pick-up service, you arrange an alternate pick-up service
from the airport, please e-mail Mr. Hamilton as soon as possible so he can know you have made
different plans and can alert the community volunteer to cancel their trip to the airport.
Please note: We will do our best to have a community volunteer meet you at the airport; if we are
unable to get a volunteer, we recommend you take a taxi-cab or the Super Shuttle from the airport to
your dormitory or off-campus apartment. We will let you know either way about three to four days
before your arrival.
To cancel Airport Pickup: e-mail [email protected] (48 hours prior to pick up or as soon as possible.
The Graduate Indian Student Organization also provides airport pickup service for new students from
India. For more information, please visit: please visit: www.uh.edu/giso/pickup.html
Temporary Accommodations
If you need hotel accommodations while on a brief visit to the campus, please see the following
information:
University Hilton Hotel
4800 Calhoun Road, Entrance 1
Houston, Texas 77204-3028
www1.hilton.com
 Type “Houston, TX”
 Choose a date
 Scroll down on the drop down menu to: “Hilton University of Houston”
Morty Rich Hostel
501 Lovett Boulevard
Houston, Texas 77006
Telephone: 1 (713) 636-9776
GPS 29.743307, -95.387541
For details please check the following website: http://www.hiusa.org/houston
Check our office’s web site regularly to see if additional temporary housing information is announced.
International Student and Scholar Services
If you have any questions about any of the information in this guide, please contact International
Student and Scholar Services (OISSS) at (713) 743-5065 or visit: Office of International Student and
Scholar Services.
Our office hours are Monday through Friday from 8:00 am – 5:00 pm. Our staff here to assist you
includes Anita Gaines, Jin Zhang, Ida Thompson, Grace Semple-Paul, Jason Scherzer, Stefan Johnsson,
and Dale Hamilton.
International Student and Scholar Services Address
International Student and Scholar Services
University of Houston
4100 University Drive, Room N203
Houston, TX 77204-3024 U.S.A.
Our Telephone Number: (713) 743-5065
Our Website: http://www.uh.edu/oisss/
We look forward to seeing you soon!