Pre-Arrival Orientation welcomes new international students to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and introduces key information to support a successful transition to campus. Topics covered include immigration, finances, housing, insurance and wellness, packing, arrival to campus, safety, academic culture, and finding community.
Who Should Attend
- These events are designed for new international students and their families.
- Students may bring one guest to the in-person orientations.
- For the virtual orientations, students are welcome to share the registration information with more than one family member.
- U.S. citizens, who are also permanent residents of another country, are welcome to attend.
2026 Dates
Pre-Arrival Orientation is offered virtually and in select cities:
- June 5 – New Delhi
- June 7 – Mumbai
- June 10 – Taipei
- June 12 – Seoul
- June 16 – Beijing
- June 19 – Shanghai
- June 21 – Shenzhen
- June 29 – Virtual (Zoom Webinar)
- June 30 – Virtual (Zoom Webinar)
Schedule
All events have the same structure and cover the same topics. The in-person orientations run for three hours; the virtual orientations run for two and a half hours.
Welcome to the Illini FamILLy
Pre-Travel Preparation at Home
- Immigration and Visas
- Financial Readiness and The University Bursar
- Pre-Travel Preparation and Scam Safety
- Housing and Dining
- Health, Insurance, and Wellness
- Packing and Journey Preparation
Your First 30 Days on Campus
- New International Student Experience, Arrival, and Orientation
- Campus Safety and Personal Security
- Academic Culture and Finding Community
Breakout Sessions (In-Person Events Only)
- For Students: Navigating Campus to Career Alumni Panel
- For Parents and Families: Supporting Your Student
Reception (In-Person Events Only)
How You’ll Receive the Invitation
- The invitation to pre-arrival orientation will be sent directly to new international students via email in May.
- Due to the way we receive contact information, U.S. citizens living abroad may not be captured in our outreach. If you are a permanent resident living abroad and would like to attend, please contact isss-programs@illinois.edu.
In-Person Orientation Details
- This event is free and open to all new international students for the 2026-2027 academic year.
- The time and location of each orientation will be shared upon registration. You will also receive a reminder email five days in advance of the event.
- The dress code for the event is casual. We encourage you to wear your Illinois-branded gear!
- Lodging is not provided. If you are traveling to attend the event, you will be responsible for all travel and lodging costs.
- We are unable to assist you with visa requirements if you choose to attend an orientation outside of your country of residence.
- If you need to make changes to your registration, please contact isss-programs@illinois.edu.
Virtual Orientation Details
- You will register for the virtual orientation through Zoom. Zoom will send an automated confirmation with the webinar access information as well as a reminder one hour before the event.
- Make sure you log into Zoom using the email you used to register. We recommend logging in five minutes early to avoid any technical issues.
- When you login to the orientation, you will be placed in a waiting room. The host will let you into the Webinar when it is time for the orientation to begin.
- You will be able to utilize the written chat feature to ask questions of the presenters during the Q&A sessions of the orientation. Please be aware that all messages are public.
- If you need to switch your virtual orientation registration, you do not need to contact us and can register yourself for a different date.
- Virtual orientations will be recorded and posted to this webpage the day after the event.
Contact Us
Please contact isss-programs@illinois.edu with additional questions.