Hosting international students for a short-term program
We provide support to IU Bloomington schools, departments, and regional campuses who want to bring international students to IU for short-term programs. We will assist you with visa documentation and processing admission decisions (if there is credit-bearing coursework involved).
The first thing you need to do is contact the Office of International Partnerships to discuss your program plans and share a draft agreement with them. You should do this well in advance of your visitors' arrival date. Contact International Partnerships staff for more information.
After you've worked with the Office of International Partnerships, we'll help you determine the appropriate visa type for your program and obtain the necessary immigration documents (I-20 or DS-2019).
To get started, submit the Short Term Program - Visa Type Evaluation form in Atlas. We will use the information you submit to determine the appropriate visa type. Then, we'll email you with instructions on what you need to do next.
Frequently asked questions
You need to submit the Visa Type Evaluation form as early as possible (once you have determined general information regarding the program) and at least three months before the start of the program. (Students will need enough time to obtain their immigration document and apply for and receive a visa.)
We will determine the most appropriate visa for you based on the information you submit in the Visa Type Evaluation form. The two options are F-1 and J-1.
F-1 Students
The program has to be at least five days long and consist of a minimum of 18 clock hours of classroom instruction per week. This is often used for credit-bearing programs.
J-1 Exchange Visitors
The program has to be at least 21 days long and the students will have to be in a prescribed full-time course of study. This is often used for non-credit-bearing programs or for programs where there is an official exchange agreement between institutions.
Yes, we need to reevaluate the program each year to determine visa eligibility for participants.
Each student will need to apply as a student before you can request immigration documents for them. Please send a list of applicants to Becca Trestler (rzuppann@iu.edu) as early as possible so that the applications are correctly processed.
You will need to submit an Add New Person eDoc for each individual before you request immigration documents for them. Please notify Becca Trestler (rzuppann@iu.edu) when you submit eDocs.
You will submit a form to request immigration documents for your program participants (after we've evaluated the program and determined the appropriate visa classification). As part of the form, we'll need all of the following for each participant:
Admission letter or confirmation that each participant is accepted to the program.
Federal regulations require that participants who will be in J-1 visa status be provided with information that itemizes additional expenses (fees, insurance, spending money, etc.). We suggest that you include this information in the acceptance letter.
Program description (start and end dates, credit vs. non-credit bearing, detailed cost breakdown, purpose, listing of activities)
You should contact IU's Financial Management Services to discuss tax implications for your program and its participants.
F-1 and J-1 visa holders are required to have adequate health insurance coverage for the duration of their visit in the United States. Short-term insurance is available through our office. You should contact Christina Fidel (cfidel@iu.edu) to discuss insurance options before the visitors arrive.
