Schwäbisch Hall students to UMBC

Steps for arrival of Schwäbisch Hall students to UMBC

1.) Admission to UMBC exchange
Schwäbisch Hall nominates whomever it wants to participate on UMBC exchange.

2.) Formal admission to UMBC
Non-degree application <http://www.umbc.edu/undergrad/pdf/special_app.pdf> must be faxed or mailed directly to International Education Services (IES) Office with transcript by the following

	deadlines
	April 1 for Fall students October 15 for Spring students Given current staffing levels at Admissions, this process can take as long as 6 weeks.

3.) IES documentation process
Undergraduate Admissions Office processes students’ applications, issues admission letter which is sent to IES. Only then can IES issue the appropriate visa documentation (DS-2019) to students so that they can obtain J-1 (exchange) student visa <http://travel.state.gov/visa;exchange.html>. IES also registers student in ISEAS (Interim Student Exchange Authentication System), which shows State Department that student is admitted to attend UMBC.

4.) Application for J-1 visa
Students must submit application for J-1 visa through nearest US Consulate <http://www.usembassy.de/travel/index.htm> – usually Frankfurt - along with documentation of financial support (bank statements, student grants) to prove ability to pay for semester in US.
Due to new tightened visa regulations, this process can take as long as two months, as students must obtain appointment at US Consulate. Male applications must also submit additional documentation.

5.) Arrival at UMBC
Preferably students should plan to arrive in time for regular international student orientation activities, especially for fall semester when there are more campus-wide welcome events. Students register for classes upon arrival.