International Students (Department Information)

The CGE communicates with admitted F-1 international students soon after the FSU Admissions office finalizes the acceptance. Students receive an email from CGE-NewStudents@fsu.edu with instructions on entering information in and uploading documents to the I-20 Application in Nole Start . If a department is awarding an F-1 international student an assistantship, scholarship, waivers, etc. the department should complete, scan, and email the Department Funding Form to CGE-NewStudents@fsu.edu. The link to the electronic (Qualtrics) version is also available upon request. The CGE will not process an I-20 for a student offered FSU funding until the department confirms the amounts.

The CGE’s J-1 Exchange Visitor Advisor likewise communicates with all admitted J-1 international students, some of whom will be issued DS-2019s by their sponsoring agency.

You can see the instructions and information for new international students here.

F-1 Students: The CGE requires all incoming F-1 international students to complete an Online Immigration Session (OIS) before enrolling at FSU. The CGE places a hold on the student’s registration that is lifted after the student completes the OIS. All incoming F-1 students receive information about the OIS via email.

In addition to the OIS, the CGE requires students to complete New International Student Check-In at the CGE so that we can collect information required for the student’s registration in SEVIS, the federal government database. The CGE places a hold on the student’s registration until the check-in process is complete.

The CGE also requires international student participation in our New International Student CGE Orientation, which reviews immigration rules and regulations and introduces students to university resources, safety, healthcare, insurance, etc.

F-1 international students may work on campus without any special authorization from the CGE or USCIS. They may not work more than 20 hours (all appointments combined) per week during the fall and spring semesters. F-1 students may work more than 20 hours per week during the summer unless it is the student’s first or last term at FSU.

If you intend to employ an F-1 international student who does not yet have a Social Security number, please assist them by preparing the SSN Form for On-Campus Employment.

Federal regulations restrict off-campus employment. If you have an F-1 international student who intends to work off campus, including work for an internship or other degree requirement, please refer them to the Employment section of this website.

J-1 international students must have written authorization from their program sponsor for any employment, even on-campus employment. The program sponsor is the organization that issued the J-1 student’s DS-2019 immigration form. If FSU is the sponsor, the student can follow instructions for requesting employment authorization by following the instructions on the On-Campus Employment section of this website. Note that the CGE advisor informs J-1 students about this requirement during orientation and students should request authorization a month in advance of the employment start date. Students who have a sponsor other than FSU should contact their program sponsor as soon as they receive an offer of employment and well before the beginning date of an extension of employment. You can read more details about J-1 student employment in the On-Campus Employment section.

Federal regulations require international students to be engaged in a full course of study unless they have obtained special authorization for a reduced course load. The regulations also restrict enrollment in online courses.

For detailed information on enrollment requirements and authorization for reduced course loads, visit the Enrollment section of this website.

International students traveling abroad during the course of their studies must be sure that they have the appropriate documentation necessary for re-entry to the U.S. Students are also responsible for obtaining any visas they may need to travel to a country other than their home country.