Preparing for Arrival

Once you have received your Form I-20 or DS-2019 and other materials from UW, you must apply for a student visa at the US consulate. Follow instructions in your Form I-20 or DS-2019 email from ISS for visa application details and links.

It is recommended that you allow plenty of time to obtain the student visa foil from the U.S. embassy or consulate. The U.S. Department of State has indicated that the process of issuing visas to some individuals might be considerably delayed due to security clearances. Please note: Receipt of the Form I-20 or DS-2019 from UW does not guarantee that you will receive a visa foil from a U.S. consulate.

Do not make travel reservations until you have obtained your visa. Individual consulate/embassy visa processing times may be found on the State Department Web at: https://travel.state.gov/content/visas/en/general/wait-times.html.

Look at the FAQ: Applying for a U.S. Visa below

Log into your Interactive WyoWeb

Your WyoWeb account is your portal your personal and degree information, UW resources, and more!  Your interactive checklist will help you make sure that you complete important tasks that are required of all UW students prior to starting classes.

First, you must Obtain Username and Initial Password. Enter your Last Name/Surname, Birth Date (make sure you enter Month, Day, Year) and your UW W ID # (you can find this in your official admission email) and click “Submit”.  *You do NOT need to enter the “Last Four Digits of SSN”.

Write down your username and initial password! You will be required to change your password to something of your choosing the next time that you log into the UW system.

For help setting up your WyoWeb username and password, check out this video!

Read about Housing and Dining options and services at UW!

First-time students at UW are required to live on campus during their first year at UW.  Read about the Live-In Requirement and exceptions.

Look at On Campus Housing types at UW and the Rates for different housing types and choose what type of housing you want to sign up for.

SIGN UP for Housing by clicking on the Apply For Housing icon the On Campus Housing page and complete your Housing contract online before you arrive to campus. You will need to sign in using your UW username and password.

New international students at UW will check in with Student Health Services after arrival to campus. You will receive more information from the ISS office after you arrive in Laramie by emailing uwglobal@uwyo.edu to report your arrival.

Read all about Student Health Services at UW!

Learn about the Student Health Requirements for International Students at UW.

Submit your records: Students who already have their MMR vaccinations done prior to arriving to the US (see requirements above) should submit them in their Patient Portal on the Student Health Services website.  You will LOGIN using your UW username and password.

Transportation to Laramie is very limited and requires planning well in advance.  The closest international airport to Laramie, Wyoming, is Denver International Airport (Airport Code: DEN) in Denver, Colorado.

Fly to Laramie:

• Flights from Denver to Laramie can be scheduled on United Airlines.

Airport Pickups:

• Laramie Regional Airport – ISS will pick new incoming international student up from LRA from August 11-22, 2025 at no cost!  Students MUST schedule their pickup at least 48 hours before they arrive to Laramie by signing up at https://uwyo.sjc1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_85HOy7uYCPMDlJQ.  **ISS cannot pick students up from Denver International Airport!
• Denver International Airport - ASUW (Associated Students at the University of Wyoming) will pick students up at the Denver International Airport. Contact ASUW for information at asuwgov@uwyo.edu

Ground Transportation from Denver, CO, to Laramie, WY is very limited. It is a two hour drive and UBER and other ride shares are not usually available or affordable.

• Greyhound provides daily bus service from Denver, Colorado to Laramie Wyoming. The Greyhound bus station in Denver is not located at Denver International Airport, so you will have to use the light rail train system to travel from DIA to Union Station in Denver to catch the Greyhound bus. If you need shuttle service from the Greyhound bus stop in Laramie to your apartment or the UW campus, you must call a taxi or Uber/Lyft upon arrival. Taxi services, Uber, and Lyft are VERY limited in Laramie. You may ask you academic department for assistance with pickup at the Greyhound bus stop in Laramie.

Regardless of how you get to Laramie, please let ISS know your travel arrangements as soon as possible. We must know when our new students are expected to arrive. You can email this information to International Students and Scholars at uwglobal@uwyo.edu. 

Within 48 hours of your arrival, email ISS at UWGlobal@uwyo.edu with the following information:

• Your first and last name
• W-number (if you know it)
• UW email address (if you know it)

This information must be to us 48 hours after you have arrived in Laramie. After you check in with ISS, you will receive an email with a "campus check-in" list. These are things that you must do during your first days in Laramie to be checked in with all necessary offices and programs on campus.

CAMPUS MAP

New international students must attend the New International Student Welcome. This day-long session is in addition to any orientation programs required by the University of Wyoming or your individual departments. Students who do not complete this requirement may have a hold placed on their account.

Fall 2025 Welcome Date

ALL students are strongly encouraged to arrive early and attend the first Welcome session. This will allow you time to get settled into Laramie and complete required tasks before the start of classes.

• • The Fall 2025 Welcome session dates are Thursday, August 14, 2025 and Thursday, August 21, 2025.

  • Undergraduate (Bachelor’s) students are required to participate in the Saddle Up program and must arrive early enough to attend the first ISS in-person Welcome session.

  • Graduate (Master’s and Doctoral) students with a Graduate Assistantship who are required to attend the UW Graduate Symposium or other departmental sessions must arrive early enough to attend the first ISS in-person Welcome session. Contact your department for these requirements.

  • EMAIL uwglobal@uwyo.edu no later than August 1st to tell us which Welcome session you will attend.

Spring 2026 Welcome Date:

The in-person Welcome session for the Spring 2026 semester will be January 15, 2026. You are strongly encouraged to arrive after January 1^st as the campus will be closed from December 24^th through January 1^st for the winter holidays. 

Students beginning in Summer:

Students who begin study in summer must attend one of the Fall Welcome sessions.

Do not make your visa appointment until you have received the Form I-20 or DS-2019 from UW ISS! Refer to the email that you received from ISS with your Form I-20 or DS-2019 for information about applying for your visa.

• Passport
• Form I-20 or DS-2019 - with future start date for the appropriate semester in which you will begin study. Make sure you print and sign the document
• Proof of enrollment for your first semester if you have already registered for your classes (print your schedule or unofficial transcript from WyoWeb).
• Admission letter/email from the UW Office of Admissions - received via email upon admission.
• Proof of financial support - bank documents, letters/affidavits of support, scholarship letters.  These are the same documents that you submitted to UW as part of your admission process.

Many students are experiencing long wait times for their student visa appointment.  Below is a list of “tips” that ISS advises might help a student get an earlier appointment. These “tips” are not official guidance from the US Department of State and might not work for all students.  These are things that other students have tried/done to get an earlier visa appointment.

• Make your visa appointment for the earliest date possible, even if this is far in the future. Most other actions cannot be taken if you do not already have a visa appointment on record with the US consulate.
• Check the consulate website to see if they allow expedited or emergency appointments and if your situation qualifies. Not all consulates are giving expedited or emergency appointments and some of them are limited to legitimate life/death emergencies. If you qualify, ask for an expedited or emergency appointment.  If they need a support letter from UW download and submit the Expedited Appointment letter to submit with your request.
• Continue to check the online appointment system every day! If someone cancels their appointment you might be able to move your appointment to an earlier date. Many students have had success doing this.
• Report your visa appointment information and estimated arrival date to your academic department/advisor. It is important for them to know if you will arrive before the start of the semester.  In some cases, graduate (master’s or doctoral) students may be able to begin study online due to visa delays and then transition to on campus classes when they arrive in the US (See the “FAQ: Online Study” below). Undergraduates are usually not able to begin study online and then transition to on campus study upon arrival.
• Report your visa information to ISS. If you have a late appointment date, have applied and are waiting for the approval, if you receive your visa, or if you are denied a visa, email uwglobal@uwyo.edu to let us know!  If your visa is not approved by the “Program Start Date” printed on the Form I-20 you must receive an updated I-20 from ISS before you can receive your visa.  ISS may have to wait for approval from your academic department to issue a delayed start I-20, so contact us right away about any delays.  (See the “FAQ: Deferring or Declining Admission” below).  Once you receive your visa make sure to notify ISS of your travel/arrival dates.  Remember that you MUST email uwglobal@uwyo.edu as soon as you arrive in Laramie to officially “check in” with ISS.

Many consulates are seeing large delays for visa appointments. Some consulates might offer expedited or emergency appointments to students who are approaching the start date of their academic program.  Students should check the website of the specific consulate they will apply at to see what their rules for emergency appointments are.  Those who are able to apply for an expedited or emergency appointment should print the Expedited Appointment letter from ISS to present to the U.S. consulate to schedule or attend their emergency appointment if required.  Remember, the program start date on your I-20 or DS-2019 must be accurate for the semester in which you intend to begin study in the U.S.

If your visa is denied, the consular officer should give you a paper with the reason for denial.  Politely ask them for this paper if they do not offer it to you.  The denial reason may help you prepare better documentation for your next appointment if you choose to apply again.  You are allowed to apply again for a visa if denied and will meet with a different consular officer for each appointment, but some consulates have specific rules for when you can schedule a second appointment. Check their website for individual details.  Also, contact ISS and we will provide any assistance that we can that might help you with a second interview.  *Remember that ISS and UW cannot contact the U.S. consulate for you, and we have no influence over the issuance of individual visas for students.

• Find a U.S. consulate or embassy in a specific country and a link to their website: usembassy.gov
• Find visa wait times for a U.S. consulate or embassy in a specific city: visa wait time tool
• General visa news: Bureau of Consular Affairs
• Appointment wait times, interview waivers, expedited appointments, administrative process, and more Find U.S. visa information

• Make sure that your I-20 or DS-2019 has a future Program Start Date on it. If you have deferred a previous admission to a future semester, contact ISS so that we can update your UW record and email an updated I-20 or DS-2019 to you.
• Make sure that you check your WyoWeb online checklist and the ISS Prepare for Arrival page for new incoming students as you prepare for your travel to the U.S. The checklist will help you make sure that you have done all of the pre-arrival things that you need to do so that your UW record is updated.  The ISS Prepare for Arrival page provides information about UW processes as well as international visa and travel information.  Continue to check this document for updated information.  ISS will update this document with any new information that is important to students planning to study at UW.
• Complete the ISS New Student Online Welcome session IMMEDIATELY! You must complete this online welcome before you arrive at UW.  The online welcome contains important information about registering for classes, cultural and academic adjustment, resources on campus, and immigration regulations that you must follow while in the U.S. on a student visa.  You will complete a required quiz to ensure that you gain the knowledge expected as you complete each section.  As you complete the sections, new sections will become available to you to complete.  Contact ISS if you have any questions about the online orientation program.
• Notify ISS of your travel plans by emailing uwglobal@uwyo.edu.  Let us know what date you will arrive in the U.S., what date you will arrive in Laramie, and your method of travel.  You must also email uwglobal@uwyo.edu when you arrive in Laramie to officially “check in” with the ISS office.  Review all travel information on the ISS Prepare for Arrival page, in the required ISS New International Student Online Welcome program, and in the email that was sent to you with your I-20 or DS-2019.

• Valid F-1 or J-1 student visa in your valid passport.
• Immigration document - I-20 or DS-2019 - with future start date for the appropriate semester in which you will begin study.
• Proof of enrollment for your first semester if you have already registered for your classes (print your schedule or unofficial transcript from WyoWeb).
• Admission letter/email from the UW Office of Admissions - received via email upon admission.
• Proof of financial support - bank documents, letters/affidavits of support, or letter of support from your department for those students who have a graduate assistantship from UW. These are the same documents that you submitted at your visa appointment.
• Graduate students (master’s and doctorate) should carry their departmental admission letter. If possible, you might want to carry your program of study (list of classes you will take in your program), description of your UW research project, and CV of your faculty advisor. These documents have been requested in the past at both visa appointments and upon US entry.

• Increased scrutiny of all entrants to the US - All who attempt to enter the US will be subject to increased scrutiny by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents. We anticipate more students being sent to secondary inspection. Allow extra time at your entry in case you are delayed getting through CBP check.
• Background checks - Background checks of all entrants have always happened. It is anticipated that there could be increased scrutiny of any activity found on your background check, even minor tickets.
• Search of phones and electronic devices - CBP can now search all electronic devices. The CBP agent can look at your phone, laptop, etc and all things on it including photos, emails, texts, and all of your SOCIAL MEDIA apps. You cannot be required to log into your social media on a computer, but you can be required to unlock your phone/devices to allow the search.
• Increased check of all documents required for entry (see list above)
• Try to fly directly to Denver International Airport. DIA is more used to seeing UW documents and has traditionally been helpful for UW students. Try to arrive to the US on a weekday, during work hours, in case you/CBP need to contact ISS.
• Carry the ISS phone number (307-766-5193) and the UW Police Department phone number (307-766-5179) with you in case you or CBP need to contact us.
• Have a “notification buddy” that can keep track of each step of your travel. Text/call them when you arrive at the airport, when you get through airport security, when you board your flight, when you land (before you get off the plane), and when you get through customs check/security.  If you are detained they will be the first to know and can contact ISS or your family to begin any process for locating your or finding out what the delay is.  It is a good idea for you “buddy” to have a copy of your documents (passport, visa, I-20/DS-2019, UW transcript, detailed itinerary, and ISS contact information.)

All new incoming students, and current students who are outside of the US, should make sure that they have an I-20 showing the correct program start date (new students) or an I-20 signed for travel to return to the US (current students outside the US).  Students who will arrive in the US after the Program State Date printed on their I-20 should contact ISS as they may need an updated I-20 with a later start date.  You can email uwglobal@uwyo.edu to request updated documents or ask questions.

Yes!  You should print, sign, and keep ALL I-20s that ISS has emailed to you.  You should carry all of them with you to your visa appointment and as you travel to the US.  Keep all of them safe with your other important documents and never throw them away.

Students who have decided that they will not attend UW at all should notify ISS via email at uwglobal@uwyo.edu, and notify Admissions via email at admissions@uwyo.edu.  Master’s or Doctoral students should also notify their academic department.

Graduate assistantships cannot be honored if the student cannot come to campus to participate in study and their assistantship duties.  Contact your graduate coordinator or advisor for details of your situation.