Updated by Adam Julian
Presented by the Office of International Admissions
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The Office of International Admissions (OIA) is a unit within the
Office of Admissions.
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We coordinate the international graduate application process for IUB.
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We recruit and admit international undergraduate applicants for IUB.
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We assess the academic credentials of international applicants for 3
of IU’s regional campuses.
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We issue the majority of visa documents for new international
students to IUB and 3 of IU’s regional campuses.
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We process overseas studies records for all non-IU programs (about
30% of all IU students who study abroad).
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We have approximately 14 full-time staff members, and 6-8
student workers in the office to handle credentials
evaluation, visa documentation issuance, application fees
processing, data entry, and communication in person,via
phone, e-mail, and letter correspondence.
We have one full-time staff member devoted to international
recruitment (both undergraduate and graduate).
Three of these staff members are authorized by the federal
government to access SEVIS in order to issue visa
documentation and manage immigration records.
Several of our staff members serve roles in both the
international unit as well as the domestic unit of the Office of
Admissions.
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There was a growth in international graduate applications
for the 2007/2008 season. We saw an 8% increase over
fall 2007. We brought in over 600 new international
graduate students for Fall of 2008.
We expanded our recruitment of international graduate
students with travel to India, Asia, and the Middle East. We
expanded collaboration with overseas alumni and
maintained a strong print presence in various
publications.
We still face an increasingly more competitive
environment to recruit the best and brightest international
students.
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APPL/(blank) : The student has submitted
application.
APPL/ARTD : The student’s application and
application materials have been
routed to a department.
APPL/INMM : Application is incomplete because
materials are missing.
DDEF/RAIN : Decision deferred/ Request Additional
Information; this is used when a CA
(Credentials Analyst) has to do an
extensive evaluation. *
PRGC : Program Change
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This Does NOT mean the same thing for undergrads!
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DENY/ACDP : Student has been denied due to poor
academic performance; there are no other
reasons available in SIS so we use this for
all denials.
APPL/COAD* : Department’s decision has been returned
to us, and the application is under final
review for official university admission.
COND/IFIN : Conditional Admit/ Insufficient Financial
Information; the student will need to
submit proof of finances for 12 months.
COND/STIP : Conditional Admit/ Stipulation College
Transcript; the student will need to send in final
transcripts, or other necessary documents.
ADMT/AFQL : Admit/ Admit Fully Qualified.
*Does NOT mean the same thing for undergrads!
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MATR : Matriculated; student’s record has been transferred
to the Registrar, and the admission record is frozen
with the reason AFQL or STIP. Students will not be
able to register until they have been matriculated;
our office will matriculate incoming fall admits in
batch on or around August 1st.
ADRV : Admission Revocation; Registrar code used to
unmatriculate a student. This code is rarely used
because of the difficulty of this process.
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DEFR : Deferral of initial enrollment semester.
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WAPP/WBFR : Withdrawn Application/ Withdrawn Before
Admission
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WAPP/WAFT : Withdrawn Application/ Withdrawn After
Admission
NEGATIVE
POSITIVE
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A02 : Non-degree student here for 1 term only
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A11 : OIA needs academic records (could mean from a U.S. or foreign
school)
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A20 : Transfer of visa is incomplete
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A21 : Visa status needs clarification
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A19 : International Student Orientation – This will be removed by the Office of
International Services after the student has checked in at International Student
Orientation.
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NOTE: This will prevent early registration of new admits.
OIA does not use positive service indicators because they
do not affect a student’s enrollment.
1. IU’s Online Application (Preferred Method!)
2. Download and print the International Graduate
Application from the Admissions website.
http://admit.indiana.edu/international/apply/?student=graduat
e&option=main
Note: Per IU Treasury policy, we are no longer allowed to accept
application fee payments by check.
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Our application fee policies mirror that of the University Graduate
School as closely as possible:
◦ If the student applies to two or more programs within the same
school for the same entry term, then the application fee is paid
only once. If the student applies to two or more different
schools, such as Music and HPER, then the application fee is paid
for each school that receives an application. Please note that all
PhD applications are considered Grad School applications.
◦ If a student is admitted to a graduate or professional program
and chooses to defer her/his enrollment, no new application fee
is required as long as the student enrolls within two years of the
semester for which s/he were originally admitted. The fee is also
still good for one year if the student was denied, and reapplies to
the same program.
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Once we receive the application, it is loaded into SIS,
generating the student’s SIS record and University ID
number.
We then review the application for bachelor’s equivalency
based on the information that we have.
o NOTE: If we do not have enough information to make
that determination, we will attach the Incomplete slip
and send it over to you without stamping the
application.
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We stamp the International Grad App Data Sheet BACH
EQUIV or NO BACH EQUIV, and route the dossier with all of
the materials that we have received to you for your review
and decision.
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Many international student’s educational records are
easy to interpret, due to their similarity to U.S.
transcripts. The country profiles on our graduate
department website are designed to assist you with
international academic record review.
http://admissions.oes.indiana.edu/intlgrad/index.shtml
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You can also request a full evaluation from our office by
filling out the Departmental Request for International
Education Evaluation form, also available for download
at the website listed above.
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We have grad rosters/reports that we can send to you via email to keep you up-to-date about the status of your
applicants. Just e-mail us if you want to receive those reports!
Reporting will start in November.
The University Graduate School also has the ability to set up
video conferencing to interview students. Please contact them
if you are interested in pursuing this possibility!
Remember that time is an essential tool for recruiting your
international students- the sooner you admit them to your
program, the sooner we can send them their I-20s, and they
can make visa appointments. To check the wait time on visa
appointments around the world, visit the U.S. Department of
State website at
http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/wait/tempvisitors_wait.php .
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After your department makes a decision, the complete
dossier should be returned to us with a copy of your
decision letter.
The Data Sheet, complete with the decision clearly marked
and with the proper signatures in place, should be on top
of the dossier.
For deny decisions, please return the full dossier back to
our office with a copy of your letter and the Data Sheet. We
will then code the SIS record accordingly.
If the student is NO BACH EQUIV, please also note that we
will not be able to admit the student unless you have the
Dean of your school’s signature on the Intl Grad App Data
Sheet.
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For admit decisions, we only need the following documents
returned to our office:
◦ The International Grad App Data Sheet with the proper
signatures
◦ A copy of your decision letter
◦ The application
◦ The academic records
◦ A resume/timeline of activities
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All other documents, including test scores, personal
statements, writing samples, recommendation letters, etc. are
for the department’s use only, and therefore do not need to
be returned to us, unless the student has been denied or
declines admission.
◦ NOTE: If sending your admits to the College for approval,
please send them the student’s test scores.
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When sending lists of deferral requests to us, please include SIS
ID numbers and/or birth dates, as well as the semester to which
the student is deferring.
If you have students whose applications are incomplete, but
whose records you wish to hold for the following application
season, please notify us and we will simply defer the record and
code them INMM in SIS for the following semester. This will ease
the yearly purging process for both our office and yours.
If a student’s request for a deferral has been approved, we need
to be notified whether or not you are extending funding offers
for the new enrollment term.
If a student withdraws his/her application before your
department has made a decision, or if a student declines your
offer of admission, please notify us and return the full dossier to
our office so that we can update the SIS record with the
appropriate withdrawal code.
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The University considers anyone who has permanent resident status
in the US, or anyone who has applied for residency and has at
minimum an I-485 receipt of application, as a domestic student.
These students apply through UGS, or directly to the school s/he is
interested in attending.
Students who already have a degree from IU and have not attended
any international institutions since graduating from IU, would also
be considered a domestic student for the application process,
because we have already evaluated their international work for their
first admittance.
◦ Please note that if you have one of these students, they should still be sent
to the Office of International Services to have their visa paperwork
updated!
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The required Supplemental Application for Admission for US citizens
and permanent residents with foreign credentials, is located on the
Graduate section of the Admissions homepage:
http://www.indiana.edu/~iuadmit/pdf/IUBSupIntlApp.pdf
Information about
ETS exams
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Please note that the Office of International
Admissions does not require the TOEFL, GRE, GMAT,
or LSAT for admission to a graduate program at the
University. These test scores are a departmental
requirement only, and therefore your responsibility to
request and review the test scores if your department
requires them.
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The Intensive English Program (IEP) tests all students
whose native language is not English for proficiency
once the students arrive on campus.
There are other English proficiency exams, such as the
IELTS (International English Language Testing System).
If you would like to know more about these TOEFL
alternatives, please contact the Bloomington Evaluation
Services & Testing (BEST).
If you have further questions about test requirements,
you can contact the University Graduate School.
What your students need to submit in order to
receive their visa documentation
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Students must show the amount set by the Office of
International Services at the beginning of every processing
season. This amount varies by school and by program.
This amount covers a full year of study, meaning 9 months
of tuition, but 12 months of living expenses. This keeps
the students in status in case they have to stay in the U.S.
for the summer. If they choose to take classes in the
summer, additional funding is required.
Students who are transferring visas from one U.S. school
to another must also show this funding.
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Students MUST submit proof of liquid, available funds,
preferably in the form of a recent bank or stock statement,
in order to apply for an I-20 or DS-2019.
If a student is being sponsored by anyone other than
him/herself, or the University, then a signed, dated letter
indicating the amount they will provide and bank
statement from the sponsor is also required.
Funds should not be property assessments, tax forms,
payroll reports, etc.
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A dependent is defined by the federal government as a
spouse or child only. Parents, extended family, and fiancées
are NOT classified as dependents, and therefore we cannot
issue visa documentation for them.
If a student is bringing dependents, additional funding is
required. For a spouse the additional amount is $6,061. For
the first child the additional amount is $5,504. The amount
for each additional dependent is $3,744.
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Dependents will receive their own visa documentation.
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If a student has a child who was born in the U.S., the child is a
U.S. citizen and we cannot issue any visa documentation.
2009-2010 Estimated Graduate Student Expenses
Professional Programs
Graduate
Programs
Music
SPEA
A.D./P.D. M.M./D.M. MPA/MSES
Business
M.A.A
M.B.A.
M.S.I.S.
Law
L.L.M.
J.D.
M.C.L.
Optometry
(O.D.)
Tuition and
Mandatory Fees
$16,972
$17694
$19,834
$21,124
$23,633 $39,904 $24,558 $35,339 $39,024 $31,530 $32,575
Room and
Board *
$10,816
$10,816
$10,816
$10,816
$10,816 $10,816 $10,816 $10,816 $10,816 $10,816 $10,816
Health Insurance $969
$969
$969
$969
$969
$969
$969
$969
$969
$969
$969
Miscellaneous
Expenses
$3,266
$3,266
$3,266
$3,266
$3,266
$6,142
$3,266
$3,266
$3,266
$3,266
$3,266
Total for 12
months**
$32,023
$32,745
$34,885
$36,175
$38,684 $57,831 $39,609 $50,390 $54,075 $46,581 $47,626
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In order for a student to be considered fully funded for I-20
purposes, the stipend awarded must equal $14,082 or more,
along with tuition and health insurance.
If the offer meets this criteria, then we will pay to express
mail the student’s admission packet the first time. If the
student needs a second packet, we will not cover the DHL
charge, though we will be happy to let the department cover
it if they wish- just send us your DHL account number. If you
have questions about setting up a DHL account, please
contact IU Purchasing.
Otherwise, the admission packet will be sent via airmail,
unless the student opts to pay for the DHL shipping
him/herself via IUPay.
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If you receive an application for a student who is being
sponsored by an external, governmentally funded
organization, such as Fulbright, Muskee, LASPAU, etc.,
then please route the application directly to Rendy
Schrader at the Office of International Services.
◦ NOTE: If a Pilot Program receives one of these applications,
please notify our office via e-mail as soon as possible!
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It is imperative that both OIA and OIS are aware that these
applications are out there, so that they can be processed
as quickly as possible and be considered for University
funding. The longer it takes the University to admit these
students, the greater chance we have of losing them to
another university.
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SEVIS: Student and Exchange Visitor Information System; SEVIS tracks
students on F, J, and M visas. IU does not host students on M visas.
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An I-20 is the standard immigration document for students. It will allow
the student to receive an F-1 student visa at the consulate.
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A DS-2019 is the immigration document for students coming in on
government (both US and foreign) or other organizational funding
programs, as well as for visiting and exchange students. It will allow the
student to receive a J-1 visa at the consulate.
Dependents will have their own I-20’s or DS-2019’s for F-2 or J-2 visas.
Our office only handles the issuance of initial documents and visa
transfers in SEVIS. Any student who is currently in the US on a visa other
than an F-1 (and J-1’s, in certain situations) will be handled as a change
of status through the Office of International Services. This includes F-2’s
and J-2’s.
The Office of International Services is home to the visa experts on
campus. If you have any specific questions about visa regulations, please
direct your inquiries to them. You can e-mail them at
intlserv@indiana.edu, or call them at 5-9086.
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Visa application fee: Students are required to pay a fee of
approximately $100 (it is collected in the home country’s
currency) in order to apply for a visa. This fee is paid at the time
of application; if the student is declined a visa, it must be repaid
every time the student has to reapply.
SEVIS fee: The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
requires the collection of a one-time SEVIS fee of $200 from F-1
Students and $180 from J-1 Exchange Visitors (students and
scholars) beginning new programs. They will be required to pay
the fee before applying for a visa.
◦ Non-immigrants already in the United States who want to change to
F-1 or J-1 status, will have to pay the fee before applying for a
change of status.
◦ Continuing F-1 and J-1 students and scholars will not have to pay
the fee, nor will F-2 and J-2 dependents. J-1 visitors whose DS2019s were issued by the U.S. government are also exempt from the
paying the fee.
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IU departments, or other third parties, may pay the fee on
behalf of a student or scholar.
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The following steps from the OIS website outline how to pay the SEVIS fee for
your students if your department wishes to do so:
◦ Verify that the student or scholar has received Form I-20 or DS-2019 and has
scheduled an interview for an F-1 or J-1 visa with the appropriate U.S.
Embassy/Consulate.
◦ Pay the $200 or $180 SEVIS fee well in advance of the scheduled visa
interview. The fee can be paid to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
by mail or online and must be accompanied by Form I-901. If possible, we
strongly encourage you to pay using the online option as discussed below.
 Online Payment of the SEVIS Fee:
i. Obtain Form I-901 at www.FMJfee.com.
ii. Complete Form I-901 online (be sure to insert the student or scholar’s
name exactly as it appears on his or her I-20 or DS-2019) and supply the
necessary Visa, MasterCard or American Express information.
iii. Print a copy of the online receipt, and provide a copy of this receipt to
the student or scholar in advance of the visa interview.
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Paying the SEVIS Fee with Western Union:
i. This initiative allows Western Union to collect the SEVIS I-901 fee, in local currency, along with the needed Form I-901 data
and electronically transmit the payment and data to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The properly completed
Western Union receipt serves as immediate proof-of-payment for a visa interview at a U.S. consulate and for admission at a U.S.
port of entry. This option is available in any country where Western Union offers its Quick Pay™ service.
 The instructions along with a completed sample of the Western Union form can be found on the ICE website at
http://www.ice.gov/sevis/i901/wu_instr.htm.
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Paying the SEVIS Fee By Mail:
i. Obtain Form I-901 (Fee Remittance for Certain F, J, and M Nonimmigrants). Download the form from http://www.FMJfee.com;
OR Request the form by phone at 1-800-870-3676 (inside the U.S.).
ii. Complete Form I-901. Be sure to write the student or scholar’s name exactly as it appears on his or her I-20 or DS-2019
form.
iii. Prepare a check, international money order or foreign draft (drawn on U.S. banks only), made payable to “The Department of
Homeland Security”.
iv. Mail the completed I-901 and payment to the address indicated on Form I-901.
v. A Form I-797 receipt notice should be mailed to you within 3 days of processing the fee. Be sure to make copies of the fee
application and receipt when it arrives by mail, then send the original document to the student or scholar. In order to ensure
delivery, we strongly advise using a courier service.
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Instruct the student or scholar to bring the SEVIS payment receipt to their scheduled visa interview.
◦ Once we admit a student who is currently studying in the U.S.
on a F-1 or J-1 visa, we determine whether or not s/he will
need a visa transfer.
◦ If so, our office will ask the student for her/his FSA’s (Foreign
Student Advisor) contact information at the student’s current
institution via an online form. This is done by email and in our
admission letter, which we will send to the student without
her/his I-20 if the student is residing in the US.
◦ We will then contact the student’s FSA to negotiate the visa
transfer, which is completed after the release date that the
FSA sets in SEVIS. The release date must be after the last day
of the semester in which the student will complete his/her
current program.
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The Office of International Admissions began
imaging all files beginning with the 2004/2005
application year.
All records will be scanned into OnBase.
When a department recalls a file which has been
electronically archived, the file will be reprinted
and forwarded to the department.
All academic records will be certified as official or
unofficial by the OIA staff before imaging the file.
If you recall a file and have questions about the
authenticity of a document, please contact our
office.
Imaged Record
Cover Sheet
The Office of International
Admissions has moved to
storing archived records in an
electronic format. This record
has been retrieved from our
electronic storage.
Academic records and exam results which are official copies
will be stamped as official.
Academic records and exam results that are stamped as
unofficial or bear no certifying stamp should be considered as
unofficial.
All other documents (excluding new materials for the file) are
reproductions of the records as they were in the student’s
dossier at the time of their electronic imaging.
If you have questions about the electronic imaging of archive
records, please contact the Office of International Admissions at
intladm@indiana.edu or by phone at (812) 855.4306.
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http://www.ice.gov/graphics/sevis/index.htm
◦ This is the USICE website about SEVIS. It includes extensive
information about the immigration process from paying the
SEVIS fee, to applying for a visa, to arrival at a port of entry.
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http://www.indiana.edu/~intlserv/
◦ This is the Office of International Services website. It includes
contact information for OIS, as well as providing resources
about IU’s policies for international students.
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http://www.aclu.org/ImmigrantsRights/ImmigrantsRightsMain.cf
m
◦ This is the ACLU’s (American Civil Liberties Union) immigration
website, which provides information about the civil rights
granted to non-citizens in the US.
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Phone: (812) 855-4306
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Fax: (812) 856-5378
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Primary e-mail: intladm@indiana.edu
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E-mail for departments: intlgrad@indiana.edu
 NOTE: This e-mail is for departmental use ONLY. Please do not give this
address to students!
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Internal resource website for grad departments:
http://admissions.oes.indiana.edu/intlgrad/index.shtml
 This is where our downloadable forms are located, as well as country
educational profiles to help you interpret international records.