Late Arrival for New Students

The ISSO strongly recommends that students do everything to arrive on time. If students plan to arrive at UT Dallas after the first day of classes, we strongly suggest they defer their admission. To defer your admission to a future semester is a two-step process– the deferral of your academic admission, and the deferral of your I-20.

Step 1

If you would like to Request to Defer your Admission to a later term:

  1. Log into your Galaxy account using your Net ID and password
  2. Go to Orion and select the Admission Forms option in the Applicant Center
  3. Within the Admissions Forms section, select the “Request Graduate Deferment” or “Request Undergraduate Deferment” option
  4. Fill out and submit the form by Census Day
  5. Notify the ISSO through iComet as soon as you know you will not be arriving for the start of the semester. Submit the ’Deferral I-20 Request’ eForm in iComet to notify ISSO and request your updated I-20.

Important: Enrolled students will need to drop their classes prior to the first day of class to be eligible to defer. To drop/withdraw from a course, please follow the instructions at: http://registrar.utdallas.edu/registration/

For questions regarding your deferment of admission request, please contact the Office of Admission and Enrollment at admission@utdallas.edu.

Step 2

To defer your I-20, please re-submit the “Deferral I-20 Request” eForm in iComet after your admission has been updated. You will receive a confirmation email from the ISSO advisor letting you know how to receive your new I-20 with your new program start date. To submit the “Deferral I-20 Request” eForm in iComet – 

  1. Log into icomet.utdallas.edu
  2. Click on “Prospective Students”
  3. Click on “F-1 Prospective Services Request”
  4. Complete the “Deferral I-20 Request” eForm

Despite the recommendations from the ISSO to defer admission if students cannot arrive on time, the latest a student should arrive late for classes is one week after the program start date listed on the I-20, which is the start of classes.

ISSO Late Arrival Letter

The ISSO can issue a late arrival letter via iComet that you may use at the U.S. Port of Entry. The ISSO will not change the program start date on the I-20 for F-1 visa interview appointments as this falls in line with the UT Dallas academic calendar and the dates we have informed the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that school starts.

Although Customs and Border Protection (CBP) at the U.S. airport might permit students to enter past the program start date, it is our experience that late-arriving students have a stressful time settling in and meeting all the pre-registration requirements (mandatory TB test, orientations, housing, etc). The inability to meet all these requirements may jeopardize a student’s F-1 or J-1 visa status.

The letter does not guarantee entry. It simply reduces the likelihood that late arriving students will be turned away at the U.S. Port of Entry. However, being denied entry remains a risk. If late arriving students are turned away, it is generally their responsibility to pay the cost to return to their home country.

How to Request Late Arrival Letter

  1. Log in to the iComet Portal using your UT Dallas NetID and password. 
  2. On the menu to the left, locate and click ‘Prospective Students.’ 
  3. Click ‘Prospective Student Service Letter Request.’
  4. Complete all required section of e-Form

If Entering Late

If a student decides to try and enter the country after the first day of classes, despite recommendations to defer their admission, they should contact the following areas as soon as possible:

  1. Student Health Center (Healthcen@utdallas.edu) to schedule a TB Test.
  2. Academic department to communicate about late registration.
  3. Intercultural Programs (ICPrograms@utdallas.edu) to meet International Student Orientation requirements.
  4. ISSO (ISSOProspective@utdallas.edu) to meet the F-1 Status Workshop. The F-1 Status Workshop is separate from International Student Orientation. Workshops are offered each semester for new arrivals.

Please note, even if a student is allowed to arrive late, they may face the following consequences:

  • Late registration for courses
  • Limited class availability
  • Late registration fees

Late arriving students are required to maintain full-time enrollment throughout the semester. The ISSO will not approve reduced course loads for students who are not able to find the right classes or who are likely to receive poor grades due to late arrival.