Graduate and Professional School Students

Pre-Arrival Information

• When you accept your offer of admission to your academic program, Dartmouth will set you up in the student system.
   
• International students will receive instructions to claim your Dartmouth credentials so that you can access the iDartmouth system and begin providing the information OVIS will need to prepare your immigration documents.
   
• For Master’s degree and professional school graduate students, you will be asked to provide evidence of sufficient funding to cover your personal contribution.
   
• OVIS will review your information and will prepare your Form I-20, which will be mailed to the address you provide during the intake process.
   
• When you receive your Form I-20, follow the instructions to pay the SEVIS fee before you apply for your F-1 visa stamp at a U.S. consulate or embassy.
   
• You can enter the U.S. up to 30 days before the program start date listed on your Form I-20. You must have a valid passport, valid F-1 visa stamp in your passport, and valid Form I-20 to enter the U.S. in F-1 status. Canadian citizens are visa-exempt and must have a valid passport and Form I-20 to enter.

Arrival in the U.S. and at Dartmouth

• Upon arrival in the U.S., you will receive an admission stamp in your passport and an I-94 record of arrival will be created to document your admission. You should check the admission stamp in your to ensure you were admitted in F-1 status. When you are in the U.S., you can access your I-94 record on the U.S. Customs & Border Protection Agency’s website.
   
• Your OVIS advisor will schedule your SEVIS check-in and orientation session. Check-ins are not done on a walk-in basis. You should bring your immigration documents, including your passport, I-94 record print-out, and your original Form I-20 to your OVIS check-in.
   
• Graduate students will also participate in orientations hosted by the professional schools and the Guarini School of Graduate and Advanced Studies. These orientations are separate from the OVIS check-in.
   
• You cannot complete a Form I-9 or receive stipend payments from Dartmouth until you have checked in with OVIS.

English Language Resources at Dartmouth

English Language Conversation Group

Practice speaking English in a friendly atmosphere while discussing interesting topics including current events, historical and political figures, art, poetry, and American culture. Open to all grad students, research fellows, postdocs, faculty/staff, and families.

• Room 301, Black Family Visual Arts Center, 22 Lebanon St., Hanover
• Wednesdays, 1:00 -2:00 p.m., during Dartmouth terms, Fall term classes begin Wed 9/25.
• Open to International Grad Students and Families,  International Research Fellows, Post Docs and Families, Dartmouth Staff, Exchange Students and Families, and Medical Students and Families

For more information: [email protected]rtmouth.edu

Rassias Center

Community Language Programs (CLP)

• Email the Rassias Center
• (603) 646-2922