Any new international graduate student confirming their enrollment with the Graduate School after June 1st should delay their enrollment with the Graduate School until the Spring 2024 semester. The "Delay Enrollment" request form is found here.

• The only exception to this deadline is for students who require no immigration document processing to study at NDSU. 
• For example, if you are admitted for an online only program (from outside the US), or if you do not require an immigration document to study here due to your visa status (such as H-1B, H-4, F-2, or J-2, etcetera).

Please note, we are currently placing all priority on students who will be arriving for Fall, as there are many students already admitted for Fall, who still require documents. If you have admission for Spring 2024 or beyond (or have delayed enrollment to one of those future terms), we ask for your patience as we first work on cases for Fall.

When we ask you to upload additional documents, we will ask you to utilize the Document Upload Form (DocuSign form).

Due to our high case volume, emails asking for a status update cannot be responded to. If you send us an email with new information that's necessary for the processing of your document, we will take note of the information and respond when able.

1. Review the Processing Time table on this page
2. Carefully read the emails you have already received about what processing stage your case is in. We hope these emails will help you be assured that we have your case, it has been placed in our queue, and are working as quickly as we can to move it through our processing stages so that you can receive your document

• If you have completed the necessary Graduate Immigration Checklist "Intake Form", be assured that we have your case in our queue.
• Once we reach your case, we will contact you if additional information is required.
• Do not send documents by email, unless we instruct you to do so. 
• We ask that you do not send repeated emails to multiple staff members, as this only slows us down from processing your case (and those cases ahead of you) in a fair and timely manner. Please review our advising email policies, here. 

In general, if you require an I-20 or DS-2019, and you quickly submit everything we ask for, the time to issue a new document is usually anywhere from 1-3 weeks. Please plan accordingly. 

• You will receive an email when it moves to the next stage of processing.
• All cases (and any requests sent by email) will be handled according to the order in which they are received, in all circumstances.
• Due to the high volume of requests, some procedures are taking longer than normal.
• We ask for your understanding and patience while you wait your turn.

Below is a preview of all stages of the process for obtaining an I-20 or DS-2019 as a new admitted international graduate student.

After your I-20 or DS-2019 is issued

Once you meet the financial ability requirement and your I-20/DS-2019 Form is issued and sent to you, the financial information on your Form will not be edited until you arrive at NDSU.

Cases Processed in Order of Receipt

All cases (and any requests sent by email) will be handled according to the order in which they are received, in all circumstances. Due to the high volume of requests, some procedures are taking longer than normal. 

Do not send documents by email

All documents must be completed through the DocuSign forms, to start the process. Documents sent by email will not be processed and will delay the processing of your case. Additional evidence must be submitted through our Document Upload Form(this link will take you to another section, where we have posted the link to the form.

Are you awaiting the news of an assistantship award?

• If the award was not in your admission letter, and your department has notified you at the last minute that it will be granted soon, you must notify us before we issue the I-20/DS-2019 Form.
  • We will put your case on hold while you wait for the award.
• Please still complete our Graduate Immigration Checklist form to ensure you are placed in our queue.
• If an assistantship is awarded, ask your department to issue you a letter on department letterhead paper detailing the award. You can submit this letter to our office as financial documentation using our Document Upload form. We will then resume the processing of your case.
• Please remember, it is important that the assistantship is printed on the first document that we issue for you, so that it will be noted on your document when you attend your visa appointment at the nearest U.S. embassy/consulate. 
• Any questions about the availability of assistantships should be made directly to your Program/Academic Advisor.

How much evidence of financial support must I provide to receive an I-20 or DS-2019 for my program of study?

This will vary based on visa status, and other factors such as whether or not you have been awarded an assistantship, what program you are in, whether or not you are bringing F-2 dependents, and other factors. After you have completed all forms and we are reviewing your case, if you must show personal money, we will inform you of the deficit amount by email.

Click here for the minimum estimate expenses by program (scroll to "International Graduate Students" header): https://www.ndsu.edu/international/apply/cost/

Do you plan to bring dependents? 

• Plan carefully. You must state your intent to bring F-2 or J-2 dependents before we issue and send the I-20 or DS-2019 to you.
• You must complete our Dependent Request form - found on our Forms page.
• Family members (such as your parents or aunts, uncles, etcetera) who are not spouses or dependent children cannot receive F-2 or J-2 documents - if they will accompany you or visit you, they should apply for tourist visas. Our office does not assist with the visitor visa process.

If you have a unique question that cannot be answered via the process above, please contact our front desk at NDSU.International@ndsu.edu, and you will be directed to the advisor who is working on your request.

• The fastest way to reach us is by email.
• This main account is checked multiple times a day.
• If your situation is not urgent, it may take a few days for a response. 
• Please be patient while you await our reply.
• DO NOT send duplicate emails, or emails to multiple staff members at one time. This will only delay us in our ability to respond to you in a timely manner.
• Be sure to include your "case number" in your email - it will begin with "GIC" and will be contained in the emails you received as soon as you completed our Intake Form.

Did you already send an email, but not receive a reply yet?

• You have not allowed time for us to respond - in most situations, due to time zone differences, or complexities with cases, we cannot respond the same day. Please be patient.
• Your case is still within the normal processing time as listed in the table above, and no status updates are available.
• The answer to your question may already be found on this page, or in the processing stage/status emails you've already received.
• You have sent duplicate emails to multiple staff members, and we are delayed in being able to respond because of that.