Pre-arrival Information

You should read through this pre-arrival information carefully.  It will help you adequately prepare for your arrival in Stillwater.

How do I get to Stillwater?                                                  

Stillwater is located approximately 65 miles from two international airports, Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City and Tulsa International Airport.  You should decide on your mode of transportation from the airport to Stillwater before you arrive and make your Greeter Service arrangements if necessary.

Greeter Service

ISS has implemented a Greeter Service to assist you with transportation from the Oklahoma City airport.  If you arrive at the Oklahoma City airport between August 6th and 10th, 2008, 12 p.m. to 10.30 p.m., a greeter from ISS will be in the baggage claim area to assist you in arranging transportation from the airport to the OSU campus. If you arrive after 10:00 p.m., you can either take the Airport Express (blue van) or a taxi to Stillwater. Please complete the electronic Greeter Service form before your travel so that ISS greeters will know when to expect you.

The cost for each van ($97.00 plus $3.00 for each additional passenger after the first) is equally split between passengers and billed directly to each student’s Bursar Account.

Note: Greeter Service is only available for flights arriving at Oklahoma City airport. Students arriving at Tulsa airport will need to make your own travel arrangements from Tulsa.

Other travel options from Oklahoma City

  • Oklahoma City Airport Express (Blue Van):
    This service is a charter service and thus available at any time of the day. Their office is located near the baggage claim area. The cost ranges between US $97.00 and $110.00.  If there is more than one passenger in the van the cost is split among the passengers. 
    Phone 405-681-3311.  
  • Taxi Service (Yellow Cab):
    This service is available at the cost between US $110.00 and $130.00.
    Phone 405-232-6161.

Travel From Tulsa

ISS Greeter Service is unavailable at the Tulsa airport but you may use the following service in order to travel to Stillwater.

  • Taxi Service (Yellow Cab):
    This service is available at the cost between US $110.00 and $130.00. 
    Phone 918-582-6161.

Where do I stay when I arrive?

Temporary Housing

Each semester, ISS arranges temporary housing for new students.  This housing will be available from August 1st - August 15th, 2008 in Scott Hall.  Temporary Housing Counselors will welcome and assist students who wish to stay in temporary housing.  There will be rooms available for you and your family members.  Cost per night is $25 per room.  Food and other items are not included.

Temporary Address

If you need a temporary place to store your belongings, you may ship your personal belongings (suitcases, etc.) to the ISS address listed below.  This is a temporary address only (2-3 weeks). Once you establish a residence in Stillwater, it is your responsibility to remove your things from the office.  Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS) requires that you report all address changes within 10 days.  Address change request can be made online at http://union.okstate.edu/iss/Sevis/AddressChange.htm


ISS Address:

Office of International Students and Scholars
076 Student Union
Stillwater, OK 74078
USA

What is the orientation process for international students?                                                                                                 

All new international students are required to attend and complete the ISS orientation program. At that time, you will learn many important things about life at OSU, immigration regulations, housing, transportation, health care and American customs. 

The purpose of the orientation is to acquaint you with the US, OSU and Stillwater and to help you become settled before you enroll for classes. Failure to complete it will result in a hold on your enrollment for each subsequent semester and an additional $25 charge and required attendance of make-up orientation sessions during the subsequent semester.

Orientation Information:

Schedule

Orientation for the Fall 2008 semester will be held on August 12th and 13th, 2008. Students must attend only one day.

Registration

When you arrive on campus, please report to the ISS office located in 076 Student Union to register for orientation.

Be sure to have your passport, I-20 or DS-2019, I-94 and all other immigration documents, a passport-size photo and the appropriate clearance slip (Undergraduate students do not need the clearance slip) to register for orientation.

If you are a student sponsored by an embassy, agency or company, bring the letter of sponsorship, complete with billing address and contact person, to the Coordinator of Sponsored Students at ISS. This will ensure that you will not be billed personally for tuition and fees.

Orientation Week

The Orientation Week (August 11th - 15th, 2008) is the best time for you to become familiar with the US, OSU and Stillwater community.

Make-up Orientation

Make-up orientation sessions will be available for late-arriving new students during the first month of classes. You will sign up for make-up orientation when you arrive.

For additional information, please visit the Orientation Information section.

How do I make financial arrangements?

Estimated Expenses & Financial Guarantees

Citizenship and Immigration Services requires that you prove your ability to fund your education at OSU.  You are responsible for paying all incurred expenses while at OSU.  You should be prepared to transfer funds for a full year's expenses.  These expense sheets will give you more information on how much to expect your expenses to be:

2007-2008 Undergraduate Expense Sheet

2007-2008 Graduate Expense Sheet

Prior to the issuance of your I-20, you will need to provide evidence that you can meet those expenses.  You should provide us with the information on the financial guarantee form.

You must keep in mind that the figures on the expense sheets are only estimates, and varies based on individual spending habits.  You should also plan for increases of 5-10% each year for tuition and housing.

Making Financial Arrangements

You need to become familiar with your government’s regulations for obtaining foreign currency and transferring money. Make arrangements in advance to have available adequate funds that will cover your expenses for at least one full year. Advance preparation is necessary because fund transferal, check clearance, and bank drafts may take several weeks. This will also help you avoid possible currency fluctuations or devaluations.  If you wish to convert your local currency to the US dollars, you can click here.

Processing procedures at the Social Security Administration may create delays in the issuance of social security cards and thus delays in securing on campus employment.  You should be prepared to pay for all expenses without employment if necessary.  Please see the employment section for more information.

Transferring funds

One method of transferring funds is the wire transfer, in which you transfer funds from your home bank (through one of their international affiliates in the USA) who then transfers the funds to your specified Stillwater bank. Wire transfers are made in US Dollars and take about one week to process. In Stillwater, Stillwater National Bank (SNB) accepts wires. If you choose to transfer funds from your home country bank to SNB, you will need to visit with SNB within 10 days of the initiation of the transaction. If you fail to do so your money will be returned to your home country bank. SNB will review your passport to ensure that the name on the wire transfer is identical to the name in your passport. Should you choose this method, use the contact information listed below and add it to the documents that you complete at your home bank.

Making Electronic Wire Transfers to you:

Pay upon proper ID to (your name)
Stillwater National Bank
Stillwater, Oklahoma
ABA# 103101437

Additional information about the bank can obtained by visiting www.banksnb.com. Stillwater National Bank does have a branch on the OSU campus.

Making Electronic Wire Transfers to OSU:

Office of the Bursar
Wiring dollars to pay for a Bursar account:
Stillwater National Bank (SNB)
Routing #103101437, account #0993744

SNB Contact Person: Wire Department
                               Swift Code: STNTUS41
                               (405) 742-1361

OSU Contact Person: University Accounting
                               Carla James
                               (405) 744-5865 or (405) 744-5870

Notify Bursar Accounting: Steven Prudhomme at (405) 744-7525 or Brenda Wyant at (405) 744-5892 or by email at bursar@okstate.edu. Provide the following information: 

  • The name of the person who is wiring
  • The Student ID number
  • The amount 

Travel

We highly recommend you not to carry more than $250.00 cash while you are traveling. Traveler’s Checks are another way to carry money and they are accepted at most places in the US.

How do I enroll?

All new students are required to meet with your respective department academic advisors for advising. You will be assigned an academic advisor when you report to your department. After advising, you are cleared to enroll. There are two ways to enroll:


For new students, your advisor will help you with your enrolment for your first semester.

More information

For more information, contact:

Office of International Students and Scholars
E-mail: issI20@okstate.edu
MSN Messenger login: issI20@okstate.edu
Phone: 405-744-5459
Fax: 405-744-8120