2. UC International Services University of Cincinnati
7148 Edwards Center One
Cincinnati, Ohio
Campus Mail Location 0640
Phone:
Fax:
URL:
iBearcatsGlobal:

3. UC International Services Staff

4. Primary Guest Speaker Advisor H-1B and Permanent Resident Petitions
Ron Cushing, Director
Primary J-1 Advisor
Primary Guest Speaker Advisor
H-1B and Permanent Resident Petitions

5. James Tenney, Assistant Director
Primary Tax Advisor
J-1 Advisor
Guest Speakers

6. Debbie Jones, Sr. Advisor Primary H1-B and Permanent Resident Advisor

7. Christy Harrison, Advisor H-1B and Permanent Resident Advisor
J-1 Advisor

8. Becky Judeh, Immigration Advisor UC International Services
H-1B and Permanent Resident Advisor

9. Jennifer Kutzko, Sr. Advisor
Primary Student Advisor
Exchange Student Advisor

10. Janet Schneider, Advisor Primary Student Advisor
ELS Transfer Advisor

11. Andrea Siouris, Advisor
Primary Student Advisor
Blue Ash Campus Advisor

12. Brittney Smith, Advisor Exchange/Visiting Students

13. Nicole Jenkins, Program Manager Special Events and Programs

14. Lorri Blanton, Program Coordinator Special Events and Programs

15. Janice Adams, Program Coordinator Primary check-in and onboarding

16. The Application &
Admission Process for International Students

17. All general inquiries are received electronically in Slate
All general inquiries are received electronically in Slate. The program is responsible for answering inquiries at the level. The International Admissions Office answers questions at the undergraduate level.
Applications are created and completed in Slate. Supplemental materials are also submitted in Slate.

18. Applications are loaded directly to Catalyst on a nightly basis
Applications are loaded directly to Catalyst on a nightly basis. UC International Services will be sent daily reports detailing who has been admitted, confirmed, declined or offered scholarships. This information is loaded electronically into our iBearcatsGlobal system.
All actions in Catalyst (admission, confirmation, funding awards) create an update in iBearcatsGlobal which generates communication with the students.

19. International students must submit proof of English proficiency that meets University and College/department requirements prior to being admitted.

20. English proficiency at the Undergraduate level can be demonstrated by the following:
TOEFL score of 515(paper test), 187(computer test), or 66 (internet test). DAAP, Business and Engineering require 550, 213, or 79, respectively.
An overall band score of 6.0 on the International English Language Testing system (IELTS) is required for DAAP, Business and Engineering.
NOTE: In addition to the overall ban score for both the TOEFL and IELTS, all colleges also require a minimum score of a 5.5 (IELTS) or 15 (TOEFL) on all sub-sections (i.e. Listening, Reading, Speaking, Writing).
PEARSON Test of English score at 46 or above.
Students who have taken the SAT and have a 480 minimum score on the critical reading section.
Students who have a Certificate in advanced English (C grade or above), or Certificate of Proficiency in English (C grade or above) or a passing score on the O Level exam.
Students who complete one full academic year of study in a U.S. high school or college/university.
Students who have passed the ELS 112 exam.

21. Pearson Test of English score at 47 or above.
English proficiency at the Graduate level can be demonstrated by the following:
TOEFL score of 520 (paper test), 190 (computer test), or 68 (internet test). Many programs have higher requirements.
An overall band score of 6.5 on the International English Language Testing system (IELTS).
Pearson Test of English score at 47 or above.
The English proficiency requirement is met for applicants with degrees (e.g. a bachelor’s or master’s) earned in English from accredited universities and colleges in the US, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and other English speaking countries.
Students who have passed the ELS Level 112 exam.

23. TOEFL, IELTS, GRE, GMAT and other required scores will be loaded into Slate. Slate feeds those scores into Catalyst. CampusSolutions> StudentAdmissions> Applicant Summaries> Academic Test Summary

24. When a student is admitted the Program Action field should be updated to ADMT (Admit). Use the COND Program Action for conditionally admitted students who will attend ELS.
Upon full admission the status should be changed to ADMT. When the student confirms online in Slate the status will be changed to DEIN and then MATR for full matriculation into the program.

25. Two navigations will be available in Catalyst: Campus Solutions> Student Admissions> Applicant Summaries> Application Summary Applicant Summaries> Applicant Progression

29. Program Action and Status codes define the stage an applicant is in throughout the admissions lifecycle. Program Action Status APPL-Applicant Applicant ADMT-Admit Admitted COND-Conditional Admit Admitted DDEF-Defer Decision Active DEFR-Defer Enrollment Active DEIN-Intention to Matriculate Prematric DENY-Deny Cancelled MATR-Matriculation Active WADM-Administrative Cancelled Withdrawal WAPP-Applicant Withdrawal Cancelled WAIT-Waitlist Waitlisted

30. If a student is denied admission, Slate should be updated to reflect the “DENY”.
When a student confirms an offer of admittance in Slate, the system will be updated to DEIN and then MATR for full matriculation into the program.

31. When a student is offered financial support the admitting department will notify the applicant AND UC International Services. To notify UC International Services you must enter the award details into the appropriate screen in Catalyst. Launch Catalyst and go to Financial Aid, Awards, Awards Processing and Assign Departmental Awards.

32. Make sure that “UCINN” is showing in “Academic Institution” field
Make sure that “UCINN” is showing in “Academic Institution” field. Next use the magnifying glass to select the aid year. The year will always be a year ahead (i.e is the selection for the academic year). Add the student’s M number to the “Campus ID” field and hit search.

33. Go to the actions tab and use the magnifying glass to select an action
Go to the actions tab and use the magnifying glass to select an action. You should select “B” for Offer/Accept.

34. Next you will be able to enter the amount offer and the amount accepted (amounts should agree). The distribution plan will in most cases be OA for the academic year, but single semesters are also an option.

35. Click the Validate button
Click the Validate button. A message will appear stating the awards were validated successfully. Click OK. If you received an error message please contact Financial Aid.

36. Click on the Post button
Click on the Post button. A message will appear stating the awards were posted successfully. If you received an error message please contact Financial Aid.  Click the OK button. The Manual Student Packaging tab should load.  Click on the plus sign on the last row to add another award. If no other awards need to be entered click the Save button at the bottom of the page.

38. Departments do not need to send copies of applications, TOEFL scores, admit/award letters or acceptance of offers to UC International Services. Just update Slate/Catalyst accordingly!

39. At the time you send the admit letter, the student can be sent links to:
The Financial Certification Form;
Estimated Annual Expense Sheet;
Explanation of Expenses
These documents will answer most questions regarding the Financial Certification Form and the I-20 issuance process and can be found on our web site.

41. Current estimated annual expenses will be in effect for applicants until the new tuition and fees are set for next year. At that time you will be notified of the increases and anyone admitted after that date will be required to prove financial support to meet those new figures.
Expenses vary by level of study.

42. http://www. uc. edu/international/services/future/estimated_expenses

44. http://www. uc. edu/international/services/future/estimated_expenses

45. NOTE: NO I-20 WILL BE SENT UNTIL THE FOLLOWING IS DOCUMENTED:
(1) The student has applied to UC;
(2) The student has demonstrated English proficiency;
(3) The student has been admitted to UC;
(4) The student has confirmed (accepted) the offer; AND
(5) The student has provided sufficient proof of financial support (to be determined by UC International Services).
Departments that receive original financial documents should forward them to UC International Services at M.L upon receipt.

46. Special Start Dates
All I-20’s are issued with a start date that corresponds with the start date of the term in question. If a program has required activities (summer research institutes, etc.) that require students to get to UC more than 30 days before the start date of the term, the department must contact UC International Services at with the name of the student, the date of arrival that is necessary, and the reason the early arrival is necessary so that the I-20 can be issued accordingly. Please contact us at the point of admission with these details.

47. Express Mailing the I-20
To request express mail service students need to go to the following website:
Departments can pay for the express mail fee if desired.
You will need the student’s UC ID number, mailing address, address, phone number and a credit card (Visa, Mastercard, or Discover cards only) to set up a user account.

48. IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS
It is important that admission decisions and financial awards be made as early as possible for international students (January/February).
The visa application process in many countries can take 60 days or more to complete. Students cannot apply for a passport/visa until they have received an I-20.
Many times a student’s decision to attend one school over another is determined by which school gets the I-20 to him/her first.
Slate/Catalyst MUST be updated at the time decisions are made. Departments should not wait until a student accepts the offer to update the systems.

49. International students have special requirements to fulfill in order to obtain documents needed to apply for student visas. As such, their admission/ award letters have to be carefully constructed. Among other things, the admission letter should indicate:
Field of study.
Specific degree level (Masters or Doctoral).
The exact dollar value of any awards (assistantships/scholarships).
Mandatory orientations.

50. .<<Full Name Address Line 1 Address Line 2>> Dear <<student name>>: It is my pleasure to inform you that your application for admission into the <<State Specific Degree Title (Ph.D., M.S., etc.)>> program in <<Program Name>> has been approved. This offer of admission is accompanied by two award offers, a Graduate Assistant Scholarship (GAS) and a University Graduate Assistantship (UGA) appointment, which carries a stipend. Attached are offer letters for each award. In order to accept or decline admission and all financial support offers, you will need to sign and return all three (3) letters. Please note that the combined total worth of both of your award offers is <<$XXXX (Add the total worth number from the GAS letter to the total worth from the assistantship letter. You MUST state the exact dollar amount) >>. Your GAS offer letter further details the percentage of tuition and fees covered or not covered by the Scholarship award. Your assistantship letter details the manner in which your stipend will be paid. International students must document financial support for all years of study to be issued a “Certificate of Eligibility” (Form I-20 or DS-2019) for a student visa. The amount of support you must document annually is $ The combined total worth of both your University Graduate Assistant Scholarship (GAS) and your Graduate Assistantship (UGA) stipend can be counted as a source of financial support in the Financial Certification Document as funds from the University of Cincinnati. There are some important orientation/tests that are a requirement of your admission. They include: Verification of your completed degree by the China Academic Degree and Graduate Education Development Center (CDGDC) sent to: The Graduate School, P.O. Box , Cincinnati, OH <<Department Orientation (insert date)>> <<Any Required Tests>> <<Include any required training or orientation dates for the assistantship>> Please indicate your acceptance of this admission offer within 15 days. Per a resolution by the Council of Graduate Schools, you are not required to respond to the attached offers of financial support until April 15th ( However, please consider that it is imperative to return the documents in time in order to ensure that all documents required to process your visa application are present. Note that the visa application process can often take 90 days or more to complete. Please direct any questions or concerns about your program of study to my attention. Any questions or concerns about the “Financial Certification Form” should be directed to UC International Services. I am looking forward to your reply. Sincerely, << Program Director Name>>, Director <<Department Name>> I accept the offer: ________________________ Date _____________ I decline the offer: _______________________­_ Date _____________

51. International Students
Key Issues
Surrounding
International Students

52. Important Dates for New Student Arrivals
Fall Semester 2017
Immigration Check-in – August 7, 2017
Immigration Check-in – August 11, 2017
Immigration Check-in – August,14, 2017 (for undergraduate and exchange students only)
College Orientation (UG’s) – August 15 and 16, 2017
Immigration Student Check-in – August 17, 2017
Onboarding for Graduate Assistants – August 15, 2017

53. Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS)

54. Requirement to Pay $200 SEVIS Fee
Prior to applying for visa, students must pay a $200 (F1) or $180 (J-1) SEVIS fee to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The SEVIS fee can be paid by credit card over the Internet, by check, or by money order.
NOTE: UC does not reimburse the SEVIS fee to students.

55. Requirement to Report Address Changes to UC International Services
Students are required to report any address change to the University within 10 days of the address change. They should update their address via their one-stop account.

56. Requirement to Obtain Prior Authorization from UC International Services to Drop Below a Full Course of Study
Students are required to pursue a full course of study during normal enrollment periods (Fall, Winter and Spring Quarters).
The Reduced Course load Certification must be completed prior to dropping below a full time status. Full time at the University of Cincinnati is 12 credit hours for undergraduate students or 10 credit hours for graduate students. Students are allowed to deviate from this full course of study only with PRIOR authorization from an UC International Services advisor, and only under very limited circumstances.

57. Requirement to Report Departure Date and Reason to the UC International Services
Sometimes, and for a variety of reasons, students leave the University early or unexpectedly. Some of these reasons include early graduation, leave of absence, suspension, expulsion, or family emergencies.
Students are required to inform the UC International Services if they plan to leave the University before the date on their immigration document (I-20 or DS-2019), and the reason for doing so. They can do this by completing the Departure Certification eForm in iBearcatsGlobal at
Departments should copy UC International Services anytime a student is dismissed.

58. Requirement To Attend Another School
Students are currently authorized to attend the University of Cincinnati.
They must notify the UC International Services of an intent to transfer to another school. UC International Services will enter a “Release” date in SEVIS. After this date is reached the new school can issue a SEVIS I-20 or DS-2019.

59. Requirement for Changing Academic Program or Degree Level
Students must obtain a new Form I-20 or Form DS-2019 before changing an academic program from one degree level to another (e.g., from Bachelor’s to Master’s level) or one major/field of study to another (e.g., from Chemical Engineering to Physics).
They must receive a new I-20 from UC International Services advisor within 15 days of beginning the new program/degree level.
Departments need to update Catalyst accordingly when students are admitted to new programs of study or degree levels.

60. Requirement To Be Onboarded
All international student workers must have their onboarding (I-9 verification) completed by UC International Services prior to beginning work. Hiring departments need to keep the following in mind for student employees:
Do NOT give students onboarding documents and send them to our office. We have an electronic intake process that begins with the student submitting an employment eligibility eForm request in iBearcatsGlobal.
Do not have students submit the employment verification eForm UNTIL the student is hire complete in Success Factors.
Onboarding for new graduate assistants is done during Immigration Check-in prior to the beginning of each term. Departments should make sure all newly arriving GA’s are hire complete by August 15th.

61. Students could have a visa denied based on national security issues if they are from countries that sponsor terrorism or if they are studying in fields that fall on the “Technology Alert List”.
At the very least, such individuals will have to undergo a “security clearance” by the U.S. Department of State before a visa can be issued. This security clearance could take several months to complete.

62. The Technology Alert List consists of a “Critical Fields List” (Tab A) as well as a Department of State list of designated State Sponsors of Terrorism (Tab B).
Studying or conducting research in a critical field or originating from a designated state in Tab B will make a student subject to a Security Clearance Check before your visa is issued.

63. Tab A – Critical Fields List
(1) Conventional Munitions: technologies associated with warhead and large caliber projectiles, fusing and arming systems, electronic counter measures and systems, new or novel explosives and formulation, automated explosive detection methods and equipment.
(2) Nuclear Technology: technologies associated with the production and use of nuclear material for peaceful and military applications include. This includes materials, equipment or technology associated with nuclear physics or nuclear engineering.
(3) Rocket Systems: technologies associated Rocket Systems and unmanned Air Vehicles including ballistic missile systems, space launch vehicles and sounding rockets, cruise missiles, target drones and reconnaissance drones.
(4) Rocket System and Unmanned Air Vehicle Subsystems: technologies associated with propulsion including solid rocket motor stages and liquid propellant engines. Other critical subsystems include re-entry vehicles, guidance sets, thrust vector controls and warhead safing, arming and fusing.
(5) Navigation, Avionics and Flight Control Usable in Rocket Systems and unmanned Air Vehicles:
These capabilities directly determine the delivery accuracy and lethality of both unguided and guided weapons. Associated technologies include: Internal navigation systems, Tracking and terminal homing devices, Accelerometers and gyroscopes, Rockets and UAV and flight control systems, and Global Positioning system (GPS).

64. Requiring Change of Status from F-2 or B-2 to F-1 Nonimmigrant Prior to Pursuing a Course of Study

65. Implications
F-2 or B-2 cannot enroll full-time in school until a change of status to F-1 is approved.
An F-2 dependent can study part-time.
A change of status with the USCIS takes 4 to 6 months to get approved.

66. Questions?