Admitted International Freshmen Next Steps

All admitted international freshmen must pay a $300 enrollment deposit. We cannot issue your Form I-20 until we receive it.

• Opens December 1
  
• $250 is refundable before May 1.
  

Pay your enrollment deposit.

Students living outside of the United States

Once we receive your enrollment deposit and process all your documents, please follow these steps to pay the I-901 SEVIS Fee and apply for an F-1 student visa (Form DS-160) as soon as possible.

• Check the Global Visa Wait Times for your city.

Canadian citizens do not need an F-1 student visa to study in the United States. However, they must have a valid Form I-20 and pay the I-901 SEVIS Fee before entering the country. Upon arrival, they should inform the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer that they are entering the United States in F-1 student status.

Canadian Permanent Residents must obtain an F-1 student visa before entering the United States to study.

Students living in the United States

You must request that your current school transfer your SEVIS record to OSU.

• Complete OSU transfer-in form.
• Check your email for the OSU SEVIS Transfer Request email.

Upon completion, you will receive your OSU Transfer-in Form I-20 via email.

Planning to travel? Talk to your current school's Designated School Official (DSO) about your transfer release date before you leave.

• If you leave and return before the release date, use your current school's Transfer Form I-20.
• If you return after the release date, use your OSU Transfer-in Form I-20.
• If you leave before the release date and return after it, contact the Office of International Students and Scholars (ISS) at iss@okstate.edu.

OSU-Stillwater students: To access your OSU email (okstate.edu), please follow the steps below:

• Activate your O-Key account.
• Set up multifactor authentication using Duo Security.
• Check your OSU email.

You will NOT be able to accept scholarships, apply for housing, register for classes or complete other tasks without first activating your O-Key account.

For assistance, visit it.okstate.edu or contact the IT Help Desk at helpdesk@okstate.edu or +1405-744-4357.

OSU-Tulsa students: Please follow the steps above. After you activate your O-Key account, you can connect to the internet through CHS_SECURE or CHS_Guest.

The Office of International Students and Scholars (ISS) will email you instructions. After you receive your instructions, log in to Terra Dotta to finish the ISS online orientation.

Important: This is NOT the same as orientation and enrollment in Step 3. You must complete both.

OSU-Stillwater students: All incoming international freshmen must live in OSU housing. After you submit your enrollment deposit, register for housing.

Registration opens at 8 a.m. on December 15.

• Register by March 1 for the best chance of begin paired with your preferred roommate. 
  
• Apply for our Living Learning Programs, where you could live alongside others who share common interests or fields of study.
  
• Housing assignments are based on the date and time you submit your enrollment deposit, and the housing and roommate preferences you select during registration.
• Incoming new students who cancel their housing registration by June 1 will not be charged a cancellation fee.
  

Important: Choose your meal plan.

Learn more about housing exemptions.

See important dates and deadlines.

OSU-Tulsa students: Housing is NOT available at OSU-Tulsa. Please go to step 6.

OSU-Stillwater students: All undergraduate international students are required to attend an orientation and enrollment program. The program requires a $100 non-refundable fee, which can be paid at registration or through your fall Bursar bill.

Registration opens at 8 a.m. CT on February 1.

Visit the Orientation and Enrollment website for more information.

OSU-Tulsa students: Please follow the step above before you email tulsa.advising@okstate.edu to begin your enrollment process.

Check your OSU email (okstate.edu) the week of March 22, 2027 to receive your housing assignment.

• If you already completed your housing registration but did NOT receive a housing assignment, Housing and Residential Life will continue assigning housing throughout the spring and summer as space becomes available.

See important dates and deadlines.

To check for enrollment holds, log in to your student portal, select the “Student Profile" tab and click on “Holds” in the upper right corner.

Submit any updated test scores and your final official transcript(s) as soon as possible. Transcripts must be issued by your school in the original language, with English translations if applicable.

Transcripts are considered official if they are submitted to our office in ONE of the following formats:

1. The transcript is submitted in an envelope that is sealed and stamped by your school or the Department of Education in your home country. Official transcripts can be mailed directly from your institution or hand-delivered in a sealed envelope prior to enrollment at OSU. See examples of properly sealed envelopes for official transcripts.
2. The transcript is sent to our office electronically at international@okstate.edu from your school or school representative via their official email account or transcript e-service.
3. The transcript is sent to our office electronically at international@okstate.edu from your embassy or home government.

If you plan to send the official transcripts to our office by mail, please send to the following address:

Undergraduate Admissions
219 Student Union
Stillwater, OK  74078

University Health Services (UHS) requires you to fill out the health history and immunization form before you arrive. You will NOT be able to enroll for your second semester until UHS has the form.

You can submit the form to UHS in person or by mail to the address listed on the form.

Medical insurance is MANDATORY for ALL international students (visa holders as well as J-Scholars) and their dependents. Medical insurance will be provided upon arrival and fees will be applied to the first tuition billing statement you receive.

You can enter the United States in F-1 status up to 30 days before the program start date on your Form I-20.

Pack the documents in your carry-on. You must present them to the United States Customs and Border Protection officer at the port of entry:

• Valid passport
• F-1 visa
• Signed Form I-20
• Printed or digital copy of your OSU admission letter
• Form I-901 SEVIS fee receipt (new I-20 holders only)
• Any additional documents your embassy or consulate instructed you to bring.

Need help traveling to Stillwater? Learn more about arrival dates, airport pickup, what to pack and more!

You are responsible for paying all expenses incurred while at OSU. Please plan to have adequate funds available to cover at least one full academic year.

Early preparation is necessary, as fund transfers, check clearance and bank drafts may take several weeks. This will also help you avoid issues with currency fluctuations or devaluations. Additionally, familiarize yourself with your government’s regulations for obtaining foreign currency and transferring funds.

Summer tuition and fees are due on June 15.

Fall tuition and fees are due on September 15.

• OSU will email billing notices to your OSU email the first of every month.

Ways to pay:

• Web-Check/bank draft (online payment through bank draft)
• Credit Card Payment
• Western Union/International Wire Transfer
• Cable Transfer

Read more about making payments.

Learn how you can save money on exchange rates and bank fees.

Once you arrive, please complete your post-arrival steps.

Important: If you cannot complete your enrollment by 5 p.m. CT on the last enrollment day, email the Office of Undergraduate Admissions and Recruitment at international@okstate.edu to move your start date to a later term.

Any freshmen entering in spring 2027 may submit their enrollment deposit now.

All admitted international freshmen must pay a $300 enrollment deposit. We cannot issue your Form I-20 until we receive it.

• Opens September 1.
• $250 is refundable before December 15.
  

Pay your enrollment deposit.

Students living outside of the United States

Once we receive your enrollment deposit and process all your documents, please follow these steps to pay the I-901 SEVIS Fee and apply for an F-1 student visa (Form DS-160) as soon as possible.

• Check the Global Visa Wait Times for your city.

Canadian citizens do not need an F-1 student visa to study in the United States. However, they must have a valid Form I-20 and pay the I-901 SEVIS Fee before entering the country. Upon arrival, they should inform the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer that they are entering the United States in F-1 student status.

Canadian Permanent Residents must obtain an F-1 student visa before entering the United States to study.

Students living in the United States

You must request that your current school transfer your SEVIS record to OSU.

• Complete OSU transfer-in form.
• Check your email for the OSU SEVIS Transfer Request email.

Upon completion, you will receive your OSU Transfer-in Form I-20 via email.

Planning to travel? Talk to your current school's Designated School Official (DSO) about your transfer release date before you leave.

• If you leave and return before the release date, use your current school's Transfer Form I-20.
• If you return after the release date, use your OSU Transfer-in Form I-20.
• If you leave before the release date and return after it, contact the Office of International Students and Scholars (ISS) at iss@okstate.edu.

OSU-Stillwater students: To access your OSU email (okstate.edu), please follow the steps below:

• Activate your O-Key account.
• Set up multifactor authentication using Duo Security.
• Check your OSU email.

You will NOT be able to accept scholarships, apply for housing, register for classes or complete other tasks without first activating your O-Key account.

For assistance, visit it.okstate.edu or contact the IT Help Desk at helpdesk@okstate.edu or +1405-744-4357.

OSU-Tulsa students: Please follow the steps above. After you activate your O-Key account, you can connect to the internet through CHS_SECURE or CHS_Guest.

The Office of International Students and Scholars (ISS) will email you instructions. After you receive your instructions, log in to Terra Dotta to finish the ISS online orientation.

Important: This is NOT the same as orientation and enrollment in Step 3. You must complete both.

OSU-Stillwater students: All incoming international freshmen must live in OSU housing. After you submit your enrollment deposit, register for housing.

Registration opens at 10 a.m. on December 1.

• Apply for our Living Learning Programs, where you could live alongside others who share common interests or fields of study.
• Housing assignments are based on the date and time you submit your enrollment deposit, and the housing and roommate preferences you select during registration.

Important: Choose your meal plan.

Learn more about housing exemptions.

See important dates and deadlines.

OSU-Tulsa students: Housing is NOT available at OSU-Tulsa. Please go to step 6.

OSU-Stillwater students: All undergraduate international students are required to attend an orientation and enrollment program. The program requires a $100 non-refundable fee, which can be paid at registration or through your fall Bursar bill.

Registration opens at 8 a.m. CT on October 1.

Visit the Orientation and Enrollment website for more information.

OSU-Tulsa students: Please follow the step above before you email tulsa.advising@okstate.edu to begin your enrollment process.

Check your OSU email (okstate.edu) the week of December 14 to receive your housing assignment.

• If you already completed your housing registration but did NOT receive a housing assignment by January 8, please contact reslife@okstate.edu.
• If you completed your housing registration after the week of December 14, you will be assigned in early January. 

See important dates and deadlines.

To check for enrollment holds, log in to your student portal, select the “Student Profile" tab and click on “Holds” in the upper right corner.

Submit any updated test scores and your final official transcript(s) as soon as possible. Transcripts must be issued by your school in the original language, with English translations if applicable.

Transcripts are considered official if they are submitted to our office in ONE of the following formats:

1. The transcript is submitted in an envelope that is sealed and stamped by your school or the Department of Education in your home country. Official transcripts can be mailed directly from your institution or hand-delivered in a sealed envelope prior to enrollment at OSU. See examples of properly sealed envelopes for official transcripts.
2. The transcript is sent to our office electronically at international@okstate.edu from your school or school representative via their official email account or transcript e-service.
3. The transcript is sent to our office electronically at international@okstate.edu from your embassy or home government.

If you plan to send the official transcripts to our office by mail, please send to the following address:

Undergraduate Admissions
219 Student Union
Stillwater, OK  74078

University Health Services (UHS) requires you to fill out the health history and immunization form before you arrive. You will NOT be able to enroll for your second semester until UHS has the form.

You can submit the form to UHS in person or by mail to the address listed on the form.

Medical insurance is MANDATORY for ALL international students (visa holders as well as J-Scholars) and their dependents. Medical insurance will be provided upon arrival and fees will be applied to the first tuition billing statement you receive.

You can enter the United States in F-1 status up to 30 days before the program start date on your Form I-20.

Pack the documents in your carry-on. You must present them to the United States Customs and Border Protection officer at the port of entry:

• Valid passport
• F-1 visa
• Signed Form I-20
• Printed or digital copy of your OSU admission letter
• Form I-901 SEVIS fee receipt (new I-20 holders only)
• Any additional documents your embassy or consulate instructed you to bring.

Need help traveling to Stillwater? Learn more about arrival dates, airport pickup, what to pack and more!

You are responsible for paying all expenses incurred while at OSU. Please plan to have adequate funds available to cover at least one full academic year.

Early preparation is necessary, as fund transfers, check clearance and bank drafts may take several weeks. This will also help you avoid issues with currency fluctuations or devaluations. Additionally, familiarize yourself with your government’s regulations for obtaining foreign currency and transferring funds.

Summer tuition and fees are due on June 15.

Fall tuition and fees are due on September 15.

• OSU will email billing notices to your OSU email the first of every month.

Ways to pay:

• Web-Check/bank draft (online payment through bank draft)
• Credit Card Payment
• Western Union/International Wire Transfer
• Cable Transfer

Read more about making payments.

Learn how you can save money on exchange rates and bank fees.

The arrival date for spring 2027 is January 4.

Once you arrive, please complete your post-arrival steps.

Important: If you cannot complete your enrollment by 5 p.m. CT on the last enrollment day, email the Office of Undergraduate Admissions and Recruitment at international@okstate.edu to move your start date to a later term.