Only certain addresses that you can enter into the Howdy Portal will meet your immigration requirements. They are the "International Permanent" address, "Student Local Physical" address, and the "Student Local/Current"phone number.
This page is divided into the following three sections:
- The "International Permanent" address should be the foreign address outside the U.S. that you will be maintaining while studying in the U.S.
- The "Student Local Physical" address should be the address where you PHYSICALLY RESIDE in the U.S. The U.S. address must be entered correctly according to U.S. Postal Service address standards so that it can be updated on your SEVIS record.
- The "Student Local/Current" phone number should be the best number to use in order to contact you while you are inside the U.S. It is strongly preferred that you provide a U.S. phone number.
This page is divided into the following three sections:
VIEWING YOUR ADDRESS AND PHONE NUMBER IN THE HOWDY PORTAL
Go to https://howdy.tamu.edu and select "Log in with your NetID to get started" and complete the login process by entering your NetID and Password on the following screen.
Once you have logged-in to your Howdy portal, locate the "My Information" button.
After your profile loads, you can see your phone number.
To view your address, scroll down on the same page. You can see all the addresses you have entered here. To see a clearer icon view of all the addresses, select the "Personal Information" option highlighted below.
You will see the addresses you have entered on the Personal Information page.
HOW TO EDIT YOUR ADDRESS OR PHONE IN HOWDY
Once you have logged-in to your Howdy Portal, locate the "My Information" button.
When you select this option, you will be directed to the page shown below. Click on the pencil icon next to the phone numbers to edit the current phone number.
To add a new phone number, click on the plus icon next to "Add new phone number".
When you click on the "Add new phone number" option, you can add the phone number. Once you are done entering your phone number, click on the check mark. Once you do, the number will be saved and added to your account.
To edit/add an address, click on the "Personal Information" option under the Mailing Address Section.
Once you do, you will be directed to the "Personal Information" page. Click on the pencil icon to update an existing address.
Clicking on the pencil icon will bring you to a new interface where you will be able to edit the address you selected. Below is an image showing you a sample edit address window. Once you have updated the address as needed, click Update and your address is updated.
To add a new address, click on the "Add New" Option on the top right corner.
You will be directed to a new interface where you add a new address. Once you have added the address, click Add, you will receive a confirmation from the system that your actions have been saved.
Please note: Some students have reported errors when updating their address. This error occurs due to the system finding a previous address of the same type with an overlapping date that is currently expired. If you receive this error, you can indicate the "valid from" date as the same date you are submitting the address via Howdy. This should fix the issue. If you continue to have issues updating your address within Howdy, please email International Student and Scholar Services at isss@tamu.edu.
ADDRESS AND PHONE NUMBER TIPS
The Student Local Physical address should be where you physically reside – not your academic department or employment address.
- Enter a date in the “Valid From” field:
- This can be today’s date or the date you started residing at your current physical address.
- The “Valid Until” field is not required:
- You may leave this blank, or you can enter any date – past, present, or future. If the date entered into this field expires, your record will appear as though you do not have a valid “Student Local Physical” address until a new address has been entered.
- The “Student Local Physical” address must be a real street address:
- P.O. boxes are not acceptable.
- The “Student Local Physical” address does not have to be your mailing address.
- You can enter a separate ‘Student Local Mailing’ address in the Howdy Portal to indicate where you want to receive mail.
- Only use Address Line 1 when entering your “Student Local Physical” address into the Howdy Portal.
- Do not include the apartment complex name when entering your “Student Local Physical” address.
- Address Line 1 should only include the Street Number, Street Name, and Apartment Number.
- If you live in Bryan or College Station, the county is ‘Brazos’.
- Click “Add” or “Update” and make sure your newly entered address appears on your record and is correct.
Tips for Writing a U.S. Address:
- Do not include the apartment complex name when entering your “Student Local Physical” address.
- Address Line 1 should only include the Street number, Street name, and Apartment number.
- Update your address within 10 days of moving to a new residence.
- Do not use a P.O. Box as your Student Local Physical address in the Howdy Portal.
- Find the U.S. State abbreviation and/or City zip code at https://tools.usps.com/go/ZipLookupAction_input
- If you live in an on-campus residence hall, enter your address as:
- Street Address
Room Number, Residence Hall Name
College Station, TX #####
- Street Address
Tips when Editing your “Student Local/Current” Phone Number in the Howdy Portal:
- The “Student Local/Current” phone number should be the best number to use in order to contact you while you are inside the U.S.
- It is strongly preferred that you provide a U.S. phone number.
- The Area Code field should be 3 digits and should not include any punctuation
- Example: 979 is the area code for most phones in the Bryan/College Station area, including ISSS. The phone number field should be 7 digits and should not include any punctuation (Example: 8451824 is the ISSS phone number).
- Do not use extension as part of your phone number.
- Do not place your entire local phone number in “International Access”