5. Set up Concordia network and email account access
Email messages pertaining to housing, course registration, and orientation will be sent to your Concordia email address (@cord.edu). To ensure you receive this important 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.
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. Many students are unable to receive text messages or calls as a two-factor authentication method while abroad, so 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.
6. Apply for Housing
The housing application for incoming Fall 2025 students will open in the new year. Information will be sent to your Concordia email about how to log in to the housing system. The housing application allows you to pick your preferred residence hall, apply for an affinity community, and find a roommate.
7. Dining Plan and Student ID
Students who live in traditional residence halls are required to have an on-campus dining plan as their halls don’t have access to a full kitchen to prepare meals. Dining Services plans are designed to offer flexibility and control with seven different plans, plus two options for adjusting your plan during the semester. You can find a breakdown of available plans on the Dining Services webpage. You will sign up for a plan to be used in Anderson Commons, The Maize, and the Korn Krib through the housing portal after you have selected your room assignment. If you are interested in a dining plan but you are exempt from housing, please consult the Dining Services webpage.
Your Concordia College ID is used for identification, as payment at the campus post office and Parke Student Leadership Center, to check out library resources, and to access your dining plan. Please upload your ID photo and submit for a Student ID through the Student ID portal by August 1.
8. Student Registration Inventory
Completing the Student Registration Inventory (SRI) provides the Registrar's Office with the information needed to complete your fall course schedule. The SRI will open for completion in Spring 2025.
First-year international students: Please complete the Student Registration Inventory when it becomes available. You will need your Concordia student ID number, which begins with 900. You can find that on your financial aid offer and some of the other correspondence you've received from us. Your answers to the questions on the inventory will be used by the Registrar to complete your Fall 2025 course schedule. Your entire fall semester schedule will be sent to your Concordia email in the summer.
Transfer and exchange international students: You do NOT need to complete the inventory. Schedule an appointment to register for courses after completing the phone registration questionnaire. Please contact Alicia Kauffman or Steve Schaefer to receive the questionnaire.
9. First-Year Seminar Registration
First-year international students only: Engaged Citizenship Seminars are unique first-year courses based on a wide range of topics. You can read the course descriptions for Fall 2024 here to envision the courses we may offer in Fall 2025. After you make your enrollment deposit, you'll complete the Student Registration Inventory (when it becomes available) and rank your top choices for which class to enroll in.
10. 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. 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.
11. 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.
12. 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 contact 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 2025-2026 academic calendar. The corresponding course registration hold cannot be removed until you have completed the screening process.
13. 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.
14. 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.
15. Arrival Details
First-year and transfer international students: Arrival dates for Fall 2025 will be in mid-August (specific dates to come). International Student Orientation will begin after arrival. This is REQUIRED for all new international students.
This year’s International Student Orientation Program (ISOP) is particularly special as you’ll spend part of the week at the renowned Concordia Language Villages in the North Woods of Minnesota. Settle into your Svenska stugor (Swedish cottages) and prepare for a unique introduction to studying in the U.S. and to Minnesota culture. Enjoy a rich program of activities — from service-learning to campfire stories — all designed to help you make the most of your time at Concordia and in the United States.
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.
Fill out the online arrival form so we can plan for your arrival.
Arrival Information Form