New International Student Orientation (Center for Global Engagement)
At the CGE’s New International Student Orientation, you will learn about FSU’s campus resources, maintaining your immigration status, succeeding as a student at Florida State University, and living in Tallahassee. You will meet other new international students and learn important information to help you make friends and have a successful start at FSU.
This orientation is in addition to the CGE Arrival Confirmation, which you should do when you first arrive at FSU.
Note: The CGE New International Student Orientation is in addition to the FSU academic undergraduate orientations. Contact FSU’s New Student and Family Programs office for more information about these orientation programs that are required for enrollment in classes.
Summer 2026 New International Student Orientation (Required)
Mark your calendar now with the date you need to arrive in Tallahassee (see below).
Summer A/C students must arrive in Tallahassee by May 6
Undergraduate Students(Bachelor’s) starting in Summer Sessions A/C classes starting May 11:
May 6, 2026 or earlier – Arrive in Tallahassee and complete your Arrival Confirmation in Nole Start under Newly Admitted Students. In the Arrival Confirmation, follow the instructions to enter the Tallahassee address where you are sleeping at night as your SEVIS address in my.fsu.edu. You must complete this step to remove your CGE arrival confirmation course registration hold. *Note: If you enter a hotel or other temporary address, remember to update your SEVIS address in MyFSU within 10 days after your move.
Please note that on-campus residence hall move-in starts at 5pm on May 7. Therefore, students with confirmed a on-campus summer housing contract will need to book a hotel room for at least one night.
If you are arriving in the U.S. in F-1 status for the first time, you may enter up to 30 days before the start date on your I-20 (Check your I-20 for the Earliest Admission Date). Do not buy non-refundable, non-changeable travel tickets until you receive your F-1 visa from the U.S. consulate (citizens of Canada and Bermuda do not require a visa).
May 7, 2026 – REQUIRED CGE International Student orientation (in-person). Register by following these instructions:
- Login to Nole Start with your FSU credentials.
- Scroll down the page and click on the Newly Admitted Students link
- Complete the Orientation Registration form and choose the May 7 date
- Please note that you must first complete and submit the Tell us about Yourself form and I-20 Application to open access to the orientation registration form.
May 8, 2026 – REQUIRED New Nole Orientation (in-person). Students who are NOT transferring from the FSU Republic of Panama campus can register now by emailing orientation@fsu.edu and identifying yourself as an international student.
- You will meet with an academic advisor during the New Nole Orientation and will need to register for courses immediately thereafter.
- You must ensure that you have resolved all course registration holds before that time by completing the CGE arrival confirmation, attend both above orientations, and following the instructions on all other course registration holds on your account.
If you are transferring from the FSU Republic of Panama campus, email orientation@fsu.edu, identify yourself as a student transferring from the FSU Republic of Panama campus, and request the registration form/instructions. There is a different New Nole registration process for FSU Republic of Panama students.
Note that a separate registration is required for each of the above orientations (CGE and New Nole). If you encounter trouble registering for the May 9 New Nole orientation, please contact orientation@fsu.edu. Students who are already inside the U.S. transferring their immigration status from another U.S. college or university may choose to attend the April 11 New Nole orientation but must also attend the CGE international student orientation on May 8.
Graduate Students(Master’s or Doctoral) starting in Summer Sessions A/C, classes starting May 11:
May 6, 2026 or earlier – Arrive in Tallahassee and complete your Arrival Confirmation in Nole Start under Newly Admitted Students. In the Arrival Confirmation, follow the instructions to enter the Tallahassee address where you are sleeping at night as your SEVIS address in my.fsu.edu. You must complete this step to remove your CGE arrival confirmation course registration hold. *Note: If you enter a hotel or other temporary address, remember to update your SEVIS address in MyFSU within 10 days after your move.
Please note that on-campus residence hall move-in starts at 5pm on May 7. Therefore, students with a confirmed on-campus summer housing contract will need to book a hotel room for at least one night.
If you are arriving in the U.S. in F-1 status for the first time, you may enter up to 30 days before the start date on your I-20 (Check your I-20 for the Earliest Admission Date). Do not buy non-refundable, non-changeable travel tickets until you receive your F-1 visa from the U.S. consulate (citizens of Canada and Bermuda do not require a visa).
Students transferring their F-1 status from another U.S. institution or changing degree level at FSU must apply for their FSU I-20 in Nole Start – https://istart.fsu.edu and request the transfer from their current institution before they start FSU classes.
May 7, 2026 – REQUIRED CGE International Student orientation (in-person). Register by following these instructions:
- Login to Nole Start with your FSU credentials.
- Scroll down the page and click on the Newly Admitted Students link.
- Complete the Orientation Registration form and choose the May 7 date
Please note that you must first complete and submit the Tell us about Yourself form and I-20 Application to open access to the orientation registration form.
Check with your admitting academic department for the date of your academic orientation and ensure that you arrive in time to attend. These meetings are important in properly planning your course schedule, because it is not always possible to discern which courses are offered only once a year and/or which must be taken in a certain sequence. We also recommend that you review the online Graduate School information at New Graduate Student Orientation Welcome | The Graduate School (fsu.edu)
Summer B students see below for arrival date information
Be careful not to schedule meetings with your academic advisor or department, a housing move-in time, medical appointments, or other obligations during the required orientations.
Freshman Undergraduate Students(Bachelor’s) starting in Summer Session B, Classes starting June 22:
June 14, 2026 or earlier – Arrive in Tallahassee and complete your Arrival Confirmation in Nole Start under Newly Admitted Students. In the Arrival Confirmation, follow the instructions to enter the Tallahassee address where you are sleeping at night as your SEVIS address in my.fsu.edu. You must complete this step to remove your CGE arrival confirmation course registration hold. *Note: If you enter a hotel or other temporary address, remember to update your SEVIS address in MyFSU within 10 days after your move.
Optional on-campus housing is available for an extra fee when registering for New Nole orientation. If you opt for this housing, you will still need to book a hotel room on June 14. Students who have a summer housing contract for an on-campus residence hall must also book a hotel room for the night of June 17.Summer B Housing opens on June 18 at 9am.
If you are arriving in the U.S. in F-1 status for the first time, you may enter up to 30 days before the start date on your I-20 (Check your I-20 for the Earliest Admission Date). Do not buy non-refundable, non-changeable travel tickets until you receive your F-1 visa from the U.S. consulate (citizens of Canada and Bermuda do not require a visa).
Students transferring their F-1 status from another U.S. institution or changing degree level at FSU must apply for their FSU I-20 in Nole Start – https://istart.fsu.edu and request the transfer from their current institution before they start FSU classes.
June 15, 2026 beginning at 7:30am – REQUIRED New Nole Orientation (in-person). You can register now by following the instructions at Register for Orientation | New Student & Family Programs (fsu.edu) Please note that this is a 3 day orientation and you are required to attend all sessions during all three days.
- You will meet with an academic advisor during the New Nole Orientation and will need to register for courses immediately thereafter.
- You must ensure that you have resolved all course registration holds before that time by completing the CGE arrival confirmation, attending both above orientations, and following the instructions on all other course registration holds on your account.
June 18, 2026– REQUIRED CGE International Student orientation (in-person). Register by following these instructions:
- Login to Nole Start with your FSU credentials.
- .Scroll down the page and click on the Newly Admitted Students link
- Complete the Orientation Registration form and choose June 18 date
P Please note that you must first complete and submit the Tell us about Yourself form and I-20 Application to open access to the orientation registration form
Note that separate registration for each of the above orientations is required. If you attended a U.S. high school and you are inside the U.S. in F-1 status, you may choose a New Nole orientation date earlier than June 15, but you must also plan to attend the June 18 CGE international student orientation.
Sophomore,Junior, or Senior Undergraduate Students(Bachelor’s) starting in Summer Session B, classes starting June 22:
June 17, 2026 or earlier – Arrive in Tallahassee and complete your Arrival Confirmation in Nole Start under Newly Admitted Students. In the Arrival Confirmation, follow the instructions to enter the Tallahassee address where you are sleeping at night as your SEVIS address in my.fsu.edu. You must complete this step to remove your CGE arrival confirmation course registration hold. *Note: If you enter a hotel or other temporary address, remember to update your SEVIS address in MyFSU within 10 days after your move.
We recommend that all students book a hotel room for at least the night of June 17. Students who have a summer housing contract for an on-campus residence hall will be able to start move-in on June 18. Book a move-in time in the evening to avoid a schedule conflict with your required orientations.
If you are arriving in the U.S. in F-1 status for the first time, you may enter up to 30 days before the start date on your I-20 (Check your I-20 for the Earliest Admission Date). Do not buy non-refundable, non-changeable travel tickets until you receive your F-1 visa from the U.S. consulate (citizens of Canada and Bermuda do not require a visa).
Students transferring their F-1 status from another U.S. institution or changing degree level at FSU must apply for their FSU I-20 in Nole Start – https://istart.fsu.edu and request the transfer from their current institution before they start FSU classes.
June 18, 2026 – REQUIRED New Nole Orientation (in-person). . Please contact the New Nole team directly by email at orientation@fsu.edu to register for this orientation. You will not be able to sign up for this session from your my.fsu.edu portal.
- You will meet with an academic advisor during the New Nole Orientation and will need to register for courses immediately thereafter.
- You must ensure that you have resolved all course registration holds before that time by completing the CGE arrival confirmation, attend both above orientations, and following the instructions on all other course registration holds on your account.
June 18, 2026– REQUIRED CGE International Student orientation (in-person). Register by following these instructions:
- Login to istart.fsu.edu with your credentials
- Scroll down the page and click on the Newly Admitted Students link
- Complete the Orientation Registration form and choose the June 18 date
Please note that you must first complete and submit the Tell us about Yourself form and I-20 Application to open access to the orientation registration form
Note that separate registration for each of the above orientations is required. If you attended a U.S. college, university, or English language program and you are inside the U.S. in F-1 status, you may choose a New Nole orientation date earlier than June 18, but you must also plan to attend the June 20 CGE international student orientation.
Graduate Students(Master’s or Doctoral) starting in Summer Session B, classes starting June 22:
June 17, 2026 or earlier – Arrive in Tallahassee and complete your Arrival Confirmation in Nole Start under Newly Admitted Students. In the Arrival Confirmation, follow the instructions to enter the Tallahassee address where you are sleeping at night as your SEVIS address in my.fsu.edu. You must complete this step to remove your CGE arrival confirmation course registration hold. *Note: If you enter a hotel or other temporary address, remember to update your SEVIS address in MyFSU within 10 days after your move.
If you are arriving in the U.S. in F-1 status for the first time, you may enter up to 30 days before the start date on your I-20 (Check your I-20 for the Earliest Admission Date). Do not buy non-refundable, non-changeable travel tickets until you receive your F-1 visa from the U.S. consulate (citizens of Canada and Bermuda do not require a visa).
Students transferring their F-1 status from another U.S. institution or changing degree level at FSU must apply for their FSU I-20 in Nole Start – https://istart.fsu.edu and request the transfer from their current institution before they start FSU classes.
June 18, 2026– REQUIRED CGE International Student orientation (in-person). Register by following these instructions:
- Login to Nole Start with your FSU credentials.
- Scroll down the page and click on the Newly Admitted Students link.
- Complete the Orientation Registration form and choose the June 18 date.
Please note that you must first complete and submit the Tell us about Yourself form and I-20 Application to open access to the orientation registration form.
Check with your admitting academic department for the date of your academic orientation and ensure that you arrive in time to attend. These meetings are important in properly planning your course schedule, because it is not always possible to discern which courses are offered only once a year and/or which must be taken in a certain sequence.
We also recommend that you review the online Graduate School information at New Graduate Student Orientation Welcome | The Graduate School and attend any other pre-academic programs or training required by your academic department.
We look forward to seeing you soon!
Center for Global Engagement Staff