Information for New PhD Students

Congratulations on your admission to Yale! We understand that you will have many questions about coming to Yale and New Haven and the Office of International Students and Scholars (OISS) is here to provide answers. Please don't hesitate to contact our office at this special email address set up specifically for new students: newstudents.oiss@yale.edu.

The information on this page provides an overview of the immigration steps you can begin work on today:


	Accept Your Offer of Admission All new GSAS students receive their admissions offer through the Graduate School admissions website, as well as a paper copy of the admissions letter. Your first step in the visa process is to go online and accept the offer of admission!

	Obtaining an Immigration Document After accepting your offer of admission, you will receive an email from OISS requesting further information. We typically send this email 4-5 days after you accept your offer of admission. This email will provide instructions for obtaining an immigration document (an I-20 or DS-2019).

	Applying for the Student Visa After you receive your I-20, you will be ready to apply for your U.S. visa. Instructions on how to apply for a U.S. F-1 student visa can be found on the OISS Web site:

	Refer to the GSAS New Student Checklist The Graduate School New Student Checklist is a to-do list of tasks and information for incoming GSAS students, including required forms for ID Cards, health and more. Please read carefully and attend to the due dates to be prepared to start at Yale in August.

	Check in with OISS upon your arrival We welcome you to check in Monday through Friday, 10:30 a.m. or 2:30 p.m.