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 students are sent an admissions letter with a reply form to accept the offer. Your first step in the visa process is to 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 You must have your immigration document (an I-20 or DS-2019) to schedule your actual visa appointment. OISS will send you detailed visa application instructions when we mail you your immigration document. Apply early! A list of U.S. consulates is available on the Web. Application instructions for a student visa can be found on the embassy Web site.