Pre-Arrival Orientation

Students who choose to attend in-person may bring one (1) guest. We are unable to accommodate more than one guest (no exceptions).

No. Due to space constraints, you may only attend one (1) of the in-person events.

The dress code is casual. You will want to dress comfortably, but remember that you will be meeting with university representatives and your new classmates.

Check In

Students should plan to arrive and check in between 13:15 and 13:45 (1:15 and 1:45 PM) local time . All in-person events start promptly at 14:00 (2:00 PM) local time.

Presentations & Breakout Rooms

Representatives from the university will each present on their topic (see schedule above) covering relevant information for new international students. Students will then be broken out into smaller rooms by academic level (undergraduate and graduate) for academic-specific information. There will also be an optional session for parents and families.

Asking Questions

Participants will be able to ask questions of the presenters after each presentation and during breaks.

New Student Networking Reception

Students who choose to attend in person will have the opportunity to connect with other new students at a reception immediately following the last presentation.

Run Time

The orientation will run for a little over three hours.

Locations are chosen a year in advance and change each year. Several factors are included in the decision-making process included student population size and proximity to proposed location, availability of venues, country entry requirements, previous event attendance, and more.

Registration is not limited to students who reside in that country. If a student wishes to travel to another country to attend an orientation, please be sure to check travel/visa requirements. ISSS is unable to assist with travel/visa requirements or related logisitics.

Zoom is a video conferencing software that provides meeting and webinar functionality for enhanced learning and collaboration among students, faculty, staff, and research partners. Zoom is a commonly used tool at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Zoom training is available via QuickStart Guides or Video Tutorials.

Please be advised that all chat messages are public to the hosts (even if you mark the chat as 'Private'). We encourage you to review Zoom's legal and privacy policies.

Students who have registered for the event will receive a Zoom invite link and YouTube streaming information for their selected date and time on June 1 via the email they used to register.

Logging In & Start Time

When you log in to Zoom, you will be placed in a waiting room. At the event start time, you will be let into the main room by the event host. Your microphone will be muted and your camera will be turned off upon entry. Please keep your microphone muted and your camera turned off during the event.

If you are watching via YouTube, you will click the link to watch the live stream. No login will be required.

Presentations & Breakout Rooms

Representatives from the university will each present on their topic (see schedule above) covering relevant information for new international students. Students will be broken out into smaller rooms by academic level (undergrad and grad) for academic specific information.

Asking Questions

Participants will be able to utilize the Zoom and YouTube chat features to ask questions of the presenters after each presentation and during the breakout sessions.

Run Time

The event will run for approximately three hours.

If you have registered for the event, you will receive a Zoom invite link and YouTube streaming information for your selected date and time on June 1 via the email you used to register. First, we ask that you check your spam folder for the message. If you still do not find the email, please contact isss-programs@illinois.edu.

If you need to switch your virtual orientation registration, you may simply register yourself for a different date without contacting ISSS. If you are switching your registration for an in-person event, please contact ISSS at isss-programs@illinois.edu.