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International Students Services (ISS) Office
459 Schmitz Hall, Box 355832, Seattle, WA 98195-5832
Phone: 206-221-7857
Website: iss.washington.edu
The ISS Office provides service to international students with issues and questions relating to employment authorizations, enrollment, academics, and visas. Each international student is assigned to an advisor in the ISS office according to the first letter of their surname. You may schedule an appointment with an advisor or they have drop in hours as well.
iSchool Student Services Office
470 Mary Gates Hall, Box 352840, Seattle, WA 98195-2840
Phone: 206-543-1794
Website: http://www.ischool.washington.edu/resources/advisingstaff.aspx
The Student Services Office assists with academic and student life questions or concerns. For issues regarding the MSIM program, you may contact Kath Gold, MSIM Program Assistant at kgold@uw.edu or Kathy Wong, MSIM Academic Advisor at katwong@uw.edu.
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International students must have health insurance. To find out more about or purchase student health insurance, please refer to the Student Health Insurance Plan website.
The Graduate School sends out I-20s to all new students in April or May. It takes about 4-6 weeks for the I-20 to arrive, so please be patient. You should have plenty of time to schedule for an interview with your consulate office for the visa.
All new international students are required to check-in with ISS either online or in-person (459 Schmitz Hall), prior to registering for their courses. Students with F-1 visas must maintain full-time (10 credits for graduate programs) enrollment, and they are expected to be continuously enrolled with the exception of summer. If in any given quarter, you need to go on-leave due to extenuating circumstances, i.e. medical emergencies, financial hardship, please consult your ISS advisor and the MSIM Academic Advisor. DO NOT GO ON-LEAVE WITHOUT PRIOR CONSULTATION AND PERMISSION FROM YOUR ADVISORS, AS SUCH ACTION COULD JEOPARDIZE YOUR VISA STATUS.
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Some students were offered conditional admissions contingent upon fulfilling the University of Washington's English Proficiency Requirement. To satisfy the requirement, students should arrange to take the Academic English Program Diagnostic Examination (AEP) to determine any necessary ESL course placements. For more information about the English Proficiency Requirement, please visit the Graduate School's Memorandum 8, http://www.grad.washington.edu/Acad/gsmemos/gsmemo08.htm. Please note, if you need to take ESL courses, you must start the classes beginning Fall Quarter. For details on the ESL courses, please go to, ESL courses.
The English Language Program at the UW offers opportunities for international students to practice the English language through various programs, including courses in grammar, vocabulary, lecture listening, and academic writing. In addition, they offer an Advanced Academic Preparation Skills (AAPS) 5-week intensive workshop in the summer where you will develop English language skills for academic success, prepare for academic work, learn about the professors and lecturers teaching at the UW, explore global issues and concepts, gain awareness of American culture, and build a supportive network of peers. Click here, AAPS workshop for more information.
Please note, all TA positions with teaching responsibilities require the passing of the VERSANT (formerly the SPEAK) test, http://www.grad.washington.edu/Acad/gsmemos/gsmemo15.htm.
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Students have the option of living in one of the campus residence halls or graduate student apartments. Note, graduate student housing is in high demand and a wait list is usually required. For a complete listing of on-campus housing as well as instructions on signing up, go to their site, Housing and Food Services.
If you choose to stay off-campus, check out the ASUW Off-Campus Housing page for rental listings.
The Metro bus system offers many service routes in the UW area. As a student, you may opt to purchase a bus pass (UPASS), which is a sticker that is automatically sent to you after registration. Visit the UPASS page for further information.
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All admitted students are automatically considered for available scholarships, which are awarded based on merit. International students do not qualify for federal financial aid.
Shih International Graduate Student Loans
UW international graduate students are eligible to apply for Shih International Graduate Student Loans. Made possible by the Graduate School through a generous gift from Jeff Shih, a Seattle and San Francisco businessman, these loans are intended to help international students in financing their education and completing their degree objectives. Students receiving funds from their governments, permanent residents, and naturalized U.S. citizens are ineligible for this loan. Students must be enrolled for five credits or more during the quarter in which they receive the loan. (Students registered for two credits may receive the loan on an exception basis; special procedures are required.) Shih loan recipients are expected to maintain satisfactory academic progress and scholarship during the loan period. The total amount a graduate student may borrow in this program throughout the course of his or her graduate career is $15,000 (this increased maximum amount goes into effect Fall Quarter 2008). The terms of the loan include a 4% interest rate. (Should the student elect to repay the full amount of the loan while still enrolled full-time at the University of Washington, no interest or service fees will be assessed.) Repayment status and interest accrual begin following a nine-month grace period after the completion of the student's graduate degree program and departure from the University of Washington. Students must maintain a registration level of five credits or more in order to avoid loan repayment status. (Should a student's enrollment drop below the five-credit per quarter level, the nine-month grade period would begin.) A minimum repayment of $90 must be made every three months. The total amount of the loan must be repaid within ten years.
International graduate students who wish to apply for the loan should contact Eileen Robison, Associate Director, Student Financial Aid, 172 Schmitz Hall (erobison@u.washington.edu or 206/685-1367) for more information.
To find out more about other funding opportunities, including graduate assistantships, other scholarships, and resources, go to, MSIM Funding Resources.
For information on employment, please read the “Employment and Internships in the U.S.” section below.
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International students may find employment - work that is compensated by money, tuition, room and board, or other types of compensation - in the U.S. For the Day MSIM program, completion of an internship is a requirement of the degree. If the internship is compensated and off-campus, you must apply for and obtain work authorization. On-campus paid positions do not require work authorization. There are two types of authorizations: Curricular Practical Training (CPT) and Optional Practical Training (OPT).
CURRICULAR PRACTICAL TRAINING (CPT) is work that is integral to the program curriculum and available to all qualifying students in your field. Internships would fall into this category. CPT Authorization requires that the work must be pertinent to your field of study and that you are registered for an academic credit associated with your work, i.e. IMT590 Internship.
OPTIONAL PRACTICAL TRAINING (OPT) allows students to gain professional experience in their field of study. OPT is typically done after graduation and it does not require course registration. MSIM is one of the STEM programs that is qualified for the OPT extension of 29 months total.
For more information on CPT/OPT, please visit the International Students Services Office's webpage, http://iss.washington.edu/stu/f1employ.html. For detailed information on internships as well as relevant forms, please go to, MSIM Internships.
Below are additional resources for locating employment:
- HuskyJobs (HuskyJobs) -
- TA/RA/GA Positions - there are several places you can look for assistantships, UW Hires (search under Academic Student Employees), Grants & Funding Information Service, Information School Student Employment. Please note, all TA positions with teaching responsibilities require the passing of the VERSANT (formerly the SPEAK) test, http://www.grad.washington.edu/Acad/gsmemos/gsmemo15.htm.
- istujobs - the email list, managed by the Information School, contains postings of student employment. You must subscribe to receive announcements, for subscription information, go to, istujobs subscription.
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If you plan on traveling outside of the U.S., you must check with ISS to ensure you have the proper documents to return to the U.S. Occasionally, a support letter from the academic advisor is required for verification of enrollment in an academic program. Contact the MSIM Academic Advisor for the letter. As always, check with ISS regarding any visa and/or travel questions.
The Graduate School sends out I-20s to all new students in April or May. It takes about 4-6 weeks for the I-20 to arrive, so please be patient. You should have plenty of time to schedule for an interview with your consulate office for the visa.
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The Learning and Scholarly Technologies Office (LST) offers various free computing workshops to UW students – Catalyst Web Tools, Computing Fundamentals, Digital Audio, Digital Video, Web Publishing, Databases and Spreadsheets, Document Creation, and Graphics and Presentations. For descriptions on these workshops and their quarterly schedule, go to the LST webpage.
The Odegaard Writing & Research Center provides assistance and tutoring on writing. Visit their webpage for additional information on their services, hours of operation, and appointment scheduling.
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Having a thriving social network is important for any student to ensure a successful and balanced college experience, especially for international students who may be far away from home. The Foundation for International Understanding through Students (FIUTS) is an office on campus that provides a variety of social activities and programming for international students, including orientation, workshops, and trips. Visit the FIUTS website for additional information, FIUTS.
If you have not already joined AIMS - Assocation for Information Management Students, you should consider getting involved with the student group. It is a great way to stay connected with your peers, take advantage of potential leadership opportunities, and engage in the iSchool community. You may get answers and feedback to questions regarding the MSIM program from your peers in the AIMS Q&A page, “Q&AIMS”. Visit the AIMS website for further information.
In addition to the two required lists that all MSIM students are subscribed to, iAnnounce and imsim, you may want to consider other lists to stay connected with other students and informed of relevant information science developments. iChat is a forum where students may engage in informal social conversations with each other. iWorld is a group with global interests relating to the information science field. To subscribe to these, or to find out about additional, groups go to, iSchool Listservs.
International Students and Culture Shock