International Student & Scholar Services

Travelers entering the United States on or after January 26 are required to have a negative COVID test.

A new/initial student is an international students who has an initial I-20 or DS-2019 with a January 2021 start date.  This includes all of the following:

• Students who started their degree online in fall 2020 
• Students who start their degree in spring 2021
• Students who transferred their F-1 immigration record for spring 2021
• Students who transferred their immigration record for fall 2020 and were outside of the United States 
• All students returning from a personal leave of absence in spring 2021

If you are a new/initial student, you have the following options for spring 2021:

• Study in the United States
• Study fully online
• Take a leave of absence
• Defer admission to a future semester
• Withdraw from The New School

Once you have decided what you will do this spring, please inform ISSS by completing the Spring 2021 Plan Form that was emailed to you. This will allow ISSS to inform you of the immigration implications of your decision in detail and will also allow us to update your immigration record as necessary to fit with your individual academic plan.

All new/initial international students must enroll full-time with at least one in-person hybrid course in order to enter the United States and maintain immigration status.

Go to Coming to The New School for additional information for new international students.

The New School has announced that while nearly all classes will be taught online in the spring semester, we will deliver limited in-person curricular offerings on our campus in New York City this spring semester. Read our updated Spring 2021 FAQ for continuing students. Continuing students with an active F-1 student status:

• May continue to study completely online in or outside of the United States
• Do not need to register for an in-person/hybrid course during the spring semester
• Must continue to be enrolled full-time in order to maintain your status
• Review the Continuing International Student Travel Checklist if you will travel to the United States for the spring semester

ISSS will provide students with additional information through detailed email notifications, Zoom live advising sessions, updates on the ISSS website, and @ISSSNewSchool Instagram posts.

• Remote office hours are Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. EDT.
• The main phone, 212.229.5592, line is operational.
• For virtual advising by phone or Zoom, make an appointment through Starfish.
• All processing requests can be made through iGlobal.
• All workshops and/or Live Advising Sessions will be held online through Zoom and are advertised on our Instagram and in our newsletters.

During the pandemic, there has been a series of presidential proclamations temporarily restricting travel for people who have been in certain countries in the past 14 days. Here is a list of these countries provided by the CDC. Please note that there is an exception to the rule for students in F-1 status traveling from the Schengen Area, Ireland, or the UK.

On June 22, 2020, Presidential Trump issued a presidential proclamation suspending entry into the United States of certain non-immigrant workers. This proclamation took effect at 12:01 a.m. on June 24, 2020, and on December 31, 2020, was extended to end on March 31, 2021. The proclamation does not apply to F-1 students, J-1 students, J-1 scholars, J-1 students on Academic Training, or F-1 students on OPT or OPT STEM extensions. F-1 and J-1 students and their dependents will still be permitted entry to the United States with appropriate travel documents.

The categories listed in the proclamation are H-1B, H-2B, L, and J-1 (intern, trainee, teacher, camp counselor, au pair, or participant in a summer work travel program) along with dependents.

On Thursday, September 24, 2020, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published a proposed rule to eliminate duration of status (D/S) for F-1 students, J-1 exchange visitors, and F-2 and J-2 dependents.

The DHS’s current D/S policy allows students to remain in the United States for the duration of their academic program and post-completion OPT or Academic Training. D/S is shown on the I-94 document as “Admit Until: D/S,” and students and scholars can remain beyond their I-20 or DS-2019 program end dates when it is academically necessary or in order to do OPT or Academic Training after their program ends.

DHS is proposing the following changes to this policy. Please be aware that this is a proposed rule and no official changes have occurred that would affect a current student’s or scholar’s immigration status in the United States:

• Individuals admitted in F or J status would be issued a Form I-94 with a fixed expiration date, by which time they would need to depart the United States.
• The fixed period of admission would be two to four years for F students. Many international students would be admitted to the United States for up to the length of their I-20, not to exceed four years.
• Students and scholars who need additional time beyond the I-94 expiration date to complete their program objectives would be required to file an Extension of Stay (EOS) request with USCIS using Form I-539.
• The F-1/F-2 grace period provided at the end of the student’s program would be shortened from 60 days to 30 days; the J-1/J-2 grace period would remain 30 days.

DHS had a 30-day comment period open to the public that allowed for written comments. The New School, other universities, and thousands of people submitted comments. This comment period closed with more than 32,000 submissions. DHS is now in the process of looking over the comments and determining if a final rule will be published.

With the change of the presidential administration the final outcome of this proposed rule is uncertain. ISSS will continue to work with the New School administration and with colleagues at peer institutions and in professional associations to advocate on behalf of all of our international students and scholars. We will update this site once a final ruling has been made.

ISSS continues to work with other universities and professional associations to urge our government representatives and related government agencies to take into consideration the far-reaching impact of COVID-19 on students, including new students, who are barred from entering the United States if their university is offering only online courses. We will keep students informed as we learn more.

The information on this website is of a general nature and is not intended to address the specific circumstances of any particular individual. International students and scholars should always consult an ISSS advisor about their specific situation. It is students' and scholars' responsibility to maintain legal status in the United States at all times and to fully comply with New School policies and procedures.

Website content is written with care but may not be comprehensive or up-to-date. ISSS at The New School is not responsible for content found through external links.