Prior to New Student Orientation, which is open to all students, International Student Orientation (ISO) caters specifically to newly-arrived international students to help you settle into your new home. This orientation provides important information about your visa, the Korean health insurance system, banking, Korean culture, your acculturation to Korea, and more.
Fall 2024 International Student Orientation
Date: Tuesday, August 13 – Saturday, August 17
- Tuesday, August 13 - Airport Pickups (optional), Housing Check-In 9am to 6pm
- Thursday, August 15 - Liberation Day Holiday
Tuesday, August 13
0700 and 1300 – Airport Pickups (optional)
0900 – 1200, 1300 – 1700 - Housing Check-in
17:00 – 19:00 Welcome Dinner and ISO Overview
- Location – u104
- Food – Pizza and drinks
Wednesday, August 14
0900 – 1700 Immigration and Tours
- Group A – Immigration
- Group B – Tour
Thursday, August 15
///HOLIDAY///
Friday, August 16
0900 – 1700 Immigration and Tours
- Group A – Tour
- Group B – Immigration
Saturday, August 16
International Student Orientation
09:00 – 09:30 Check-in & Registration
09:30 – 10:00 Ice-Breaker
10:00 – 12:00 General Orientation – Welcome to Korea!
- Campus Resources (10:00 – 10:30)
- Information about Visa / ARC (10:35 – 11:15)
- Korean Health Insurance System (11:20 – 12:00)
12:00 – 13:00 Lunch with International Student Diplomats
- Locations – 3rd floor classrooms
- Students will be grouped by ISD
13:00 – 15:00 Living in Korea
- Korean Culture – To do and Not to Do
- Basic Korean Lesson
- T-money Card
15:00 – 16:00 Student Panel Session with ISD
16:00 – 18:00 Scavenger Hunt with ISD
- Explore your neighborhood – Triple Street / Outlet / HomePlus / T-Money Card / Subway / Bus /
During ISO, you’ll meet UAC staff and other international students, learn about practical resources and aspects of Korean culture, and more.
Before classes start, our International Student Diplomats will take you on a tour of campus and the local neighborhood.
After classes start, our Immigration Specialist will arrange for all new international students to visit the immigration office to apply for their Resident Cards. You will receive more information via email.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
- Yes, students who are not citizens of Korea are required to attend. Partial attendance will not satisfy the requirement. Students unable to attend for circumstances beyond their control should contact the Assistant Dean of Students immediately (terence.turner@utah.edu).
We will cover information about the following topics:
- Immigration rules and compliance
- Campus resources
- Acculturation to the UAC, Songdo, and Korea
- Culture Shock and UAC Mental Health Resources
We will also introduce you to the International Student Diplomats, which is a group of UAC students eager to support international students and help with their adjustment to campus and living in Korea.
If you do not attend the orientation sessions, you will receive a hold on your University record. A “hold” prevents you from doing some things because you did not meet a certain requirement. The orientation hold will prevent you from registering for classes and receiving your transcripts. To remove the hold, you must attend the next available orientation date (which may be at the beginning of the next semester). Please try your best to make arrangements to attend orientation so that you do not get a hold. If you have an unavoidable conflict or if an emergency situation occurs that prevents you from attending orientation, please email the Assistant Dean of Students (terence.turner@utah.edu) as soon as possible so we can help you find a solution.
Our Immigration Specialist will contact you via email.
You are always welcome and encouraged to meet with the Assistant Dean of Students (terence.turner@utah.edu) or the Immigration Specialist JungA See (junga.seo@utah.edu) to discuss any questions or concerns that you may have, especially regarding immigration. To make an appointment, please send an email to Turner or JungA with your available dates/times to meet.
GENERAL UAC QUESTIONS
- First-semester Utah students are required to attend the New Student Orientation (usually the Thursday after the International Student Orientation). During the New Student Orientation, first-semester students will learn about how to register for courses and are then given access to register for courses the next Friday.
- Transfer Utah students can make an appointment with the UAC academic advisors to determine when course registration is possible. Click here to make an appointment (note: you will need to have your Umail and uNID activated).
- Learning Abroad Utah students are able to register for classes once their campus location in CIS is switched to UAC status. While not required, Learning Abroad students from the SLC campus can make an appointment with a UAC academic advisor by clicking here. For questions, please contact the International Programs Coordinator.
UAC students need to have at least one semester at the University of Utah to establish their Utah GPA before they’re permitted to cross-register.
In addition, students must have a 3.0 GPA or higher and UAC freshmen must complete mandatory advising and UGS 1010.
- Register for a minimum of 12 credits from the UAC to maintain full time status.
- The UAC Academic Advising Center will share with students a list of pre-approved courses available from other IGC schools in July and February for the fall and spring semesters respectively.
- Review possible cross-registration candidate courses from sister institutions.
- Fill out cross-registration forms from whichever relevant IGC university. For a GMU application, you need to submit a copy of your passport.
- Schedule an advising appointment with Suhyen in the Academic Advising Center by clicking here.
- Processing of IGC university course cross-registration can take up to three weeks. Continue checking your Umail for the partner institution’s ID number and further instructions.
- Take the course and send an official transcript from the partner institution to the U of U Salt Lake admissions’ office.
The Registration Card is a form of identification expatriates in South Korea are required to have.
International students studying at the Utah Asia Campus on a D2 visa must apply for the Registration Card within 90 days of arrival to South Korea. Failure to apply for an RC may result in legal penalties against the student.
The UAC’s Immigration Specialist will help book students’ immigration appointments with the local immigration office to apply for their RC. UAC staff will assist international students in visiting the local immigration office.