2025 International Pre-Arrival Guide

Checklist for Accepted International Students

1. Register for your Concordia Scholarship Interview

Concordia Scholarship Interviews for Fall 2025 admission will take place in December and February for admitted international students who have already demonstrated the ability to pay in the range of $24,000 to $33,000 per year.

Click Select an Interview Time in the admitted student portal to check available times. Students who participate in a Scholarship Interview are eligible for at least another $500 per year in scholarship funds. If you have questions about your eligibility or about preparing for the interview, please email us at intl@cord.edu.

2. Make Your Deposit

Reserve your place at Concordia by submitting your deposit of $300. In return, we’ll start to make preparations for your arrival at Concordia. To complete this process, you will need to use your Concordia username and password.

Deposit by credit card through the PayMyTuition platform using a Visa or MasterCard issued from a major bank. If you do not have this type of credit card, please email us at intl@cord.edu for alternate deposit instructions.

submit your enrollment deposit

3. Obtain Your I-20 Form

Once you have been admitted and demonstrated adequate funds for your first year of study at Concordia and made your $300 enrollment deposit, we will issue the required form I-20. A scanned, digital copy of your I-20 will be emailed to you. We will start this process soon after your commitment so you can start scheduling your F1 Student Visa interview as soon as possible.

4. Pay Your SEVIS Fee

Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (commonly called SEVIS) is the online platform the United States government uses to process student visa applications. You are required to pay for this service online before your visa can be issued.

Regulation requires all prospective F-1 students to pay the I-901 Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) Fee before the Department of State issues a visa. To pay the I-901 SEVIS Fee, visit FMJfee.com to access the SEVIS Form I-901.

Who needs to pay the I-901 SEVIS Fee?

  • All prospective F-1 students from countries where a visa to travel to the United States is mandatory.
  • All prospective F-1 students from visa waiver countries (before seeking admission at a U.S. port of entry).
  • Any nonimmigrant in the United States applying for a change of nonimmigrant status to F-1 status (before applying for a change of nonimmigrant status).

How do I pay the I-901 SEVIS Fee?

  • Most prospective F-1 students also have the option to make a credit card payment on FMJfee.com. However, prospective international students with a country of citizenship or country of birth of Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, or Gambia must pay by money order, Western Union Quick Pay, or certified check drawn from a U.S. bank.
  • SEVP will accept third-party payments, meaning someone else can pay your I-901 SEVIS Fee using the same method of payment. For students who cannot pay the fee by credit card, third-party payers are also restricted from paying the fee by credit card.

Learn More

5.  Set up Concordia network and email account access

Important email messages pertaining to housing, course registration, and orientation will be sent to your Concordia email address (@cord.edu). To ensure you receive this information, you need to claim your Concordia email following the process outlined in the email you received shortly after your admission.

Please DO NOT enter an international phone number for the two-factor authentication process. Instead, you will need to provide a recovery email address that is not your Concordia email address. Additionally, we recommend downloading the Microsoft Authenticator application to access campus networks from abroad. For more information about two-factor setup or changes, please click here.

Once you have claimed your account, if you want to change your two-factor number or email, please click here to access your account security information.

6. Apply for Housing

Apply for your preferred residence hall and explore potential roommates. The housing application and roommate matching for Fall 2025 are open now. Room selection will open in mid-April.

Housing Application

7. Dining Plan and Student ID

Dining Services plans are designed to make sure you are fueled up for every moment of the Cobber life. First-year students can choose from three different meal plans when they complete the final step of their housing application. Dining plans are accessed using your student ID card, which you will receive upon arrival to campus.

Upload a photo of yourself online for your Student ID.

Explore Dining Options

8. Student Registration Inventory

First-year international students: Completing the Student Registration Inventory (SRI) provides the Registrar's Office with the information needed to build your fall class schedule.

You will select your own First-Year Seminar (a unique first-year course taught in a wide variety of topics) by ranking your top choices. The registrar will do the rest, and your class schedule will be available later this summer!

Complete Inventory

Transfer and exchange international students: Please do NOT complete the inventory. You will register for classes via a separate process. Please contact Alicia Kauffman or Steve Schaefer for instructions on your registration process.

9. Attend the Virtual Pre-Arrival Sessions

Ensure a smooth and successful start to your time at Concordia by attending our three-part virtual pre-arrival meetings in May, June, and July 2025. These are tentatively scheduled for the second Wednesday of each of these months.  Please make your best effort to attend as essential information related to your visa application, housing and roommate selection, course registration, and more will be shared. Deposited students will be invited to attend by email. Email Steve Schaefer with questions.

10. Sexual Assault Prevention Training

This video-based program will provide crucial information about Consent, Bystander Intervention, Sexual Harassment, Intimate Partner Violence, Stalking, and much more. This online training course will help you better understand how important these issues are and what you can do to help make our campus safer.

This program is required to be completed before a student is allowed to begin courses. It takes approximately 90 to 120 minutes to complete; however, you can start the program, save and exit, and then continue from where you stopped.

Access the training here by using your Banner ID as your username; passwords are the first five numbers of your Banner ID. If you do not know your Banner ID, you will receive a weekly reminder email to take the training containing your Banner ID.

11. Health Forms and Tuberculosis (TB) testing

The Mandatory Immunizations form is required to be completed by all students. If you require an immunization exemption and cannot mail the form, please email intl@cord.edu.

Immunization Form

In compliance with the United States Centers for Disease Control, Concordia College is to screen eligible new international students for tuberculosis (TB) upon their arrival. This testing is coordinated through Sanford Medical Center in Fargo, North Dakota. Associated costs for this test are included in your health insurance estimate for the 2025-26 academic calendar. The corresponding course registration hold cannot be removed until you have completed the screening process.

12. Find a Campus Job

International students enrolled on an F-1 student visa are permitted to work on campus beginning their first semester. Beginning in mid-August, deposited students who have completed their class schedule may create a Handshake profile and apply for positions on campus.

13. Submit Final Transcripts and Diploma

This one is important! Failure to submit final high school academic records containing your graduation date will prevent you from registering for subsequent semesters. Click below for a complete list of required academic transcripts by country.

Students requesting transfer of credit for courses taken at universities outside of the United States must have their final transcripts evaluated by an approved credential evaluation agency found on the NACES website and sent to Concordia College. Students must request a course-by-course evaluation from the agency.

14. Arrival Details

Please plan your arrival to campus for August 16 or 17, 2025. If you fly into Hector International Airport (FAR), a Global Learning staff member will pick you up directly from the airport. If you fly into Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport (MSP), you will have to travel to Fargo-Moorhead on your own. We can help you plan this leg of travel if needed.

International Student Orientation will take place from August 18-22. This is required for all new international students.

If your travel itinerary brings you to the Fargo-Moorhead community before the approved dates, it is your responsibility to make arrangements for transportation, lodging, and meals prior to being able to move into your residence hall on the arrival dates listed above.

As soon as you have your travel details finalized, please fill out the online form below so we can plan for your arrival.

Arrival Information Form