New Student Check-In
All international students admitted to one of the Engineering Academy or TEAM programs must submit an Other Student Check-In to ISSS prior to their first semester of enrollment.
- F-1 and J-1 international students participating in one of the Engineering Academy programs should consult their partner institution regarding issuance of a Form I-20 or Form DS-2019. ISSS at Texas A&M University will not issue the Form I-20/DS-2019 until the student is ready to enter a degree-granting major.
- For Blinn College, email international@blinn.edu for assistance.
Entry to Major
After a year or two of co-enrollment at Texas A&M University and the partner institution, students participating in the Engineering Academies and TEAM complete a process to officially enter a degree-granting major at Texas A&M University in College Station.
All international students going through the process to enter a degree-granting major are encouraged to review the New International Student Orientation (NISO) for helpful information about attending the College Station campus. F-1 and J-1 students should pay particular attention to the policies pertaining to maintaining legal F-1/J-1 status.
F-1 and J-1 international students completing a major process must complete a SEVIS transfer and another ISSS Check-In to obtain an updated Form I-20/DS-2019 and maintain legal F-1/J-1 status. Students who fail to complete all steps below will be at risk of violating their F-1 or J-1 immigration status and will have a registration hold added to their University record until the actions are resolved.
- F-1 international students:
- Before completing the entry to a major process, F-1 students must request a SEVIS Transfer to obtain an updated Form I-20 issued by ISSS. Students should consult their partner institution that holds their current I-20 to transfer their SEVIS record.
- The length of time granted on the Form I-20 that you receive from ISSS will depend upon the amount of time spent co-enrolled at the partner institution.
- ISSS typically issues a newly admitted Bachelor’s degree student a four-year Form I-20. Therefore, if you were co-enrolled at the partner institution for one year, you will receive an I-20 from Texas A&M valid for up to three years. If you were co-enrolled at the partner institution for two years, you will receive an I-20 from Texas A&M valid for up to two years.
- After obtaining the updated Form I-20, F-1 students must complete an F-1/J-1 Check-In with ISSS to fully activate their F-1 status.
- J-1 international students:
- Before completing the entry to a major process, J-1 students must request a SEVIS Transfer to obtain an updated Form DS-2019 issued by ISSS.
- After obtaining the updated Form DS-2019, J-1 students must complete an F-1/J-1 Check-In with ISSS to fully activate their J-1 status.