[ARCHIVE] FAQs on Visas and Immigration – New Students
[Updated June 29, 2020]
Who is a "new student"?
For visa purposes, new students are students who are expected to start their Tufts programs in Fall 2020 and who are currently outside the US. If you are already in the US on a student visa at another college or university, refer to the FAQs for Transfer Students instead.
Please note that guidance for new students will differ depending on whether your Fall 2020 program will be on-line only or if it will require you to come to campus for in-person classes. Please read the appropriate section below depending on the guidance you received from your program.
New Students: Programs Starting In-Person for Fall 2020
Yes, you are allowed to come to the US if the classes you are taking will be offered on-campus this Fall 2020. This applies only if the classes require you to be physically present for class activities - it does not apply if at least some class activities do not require in-person attendance.
You will need to expect to enroll in a full-time program.
Please keep in mind that there are still possible visa delays as well as restrictions on persons entering from certain countries. Read our COVID-19 Entry Suspension page for more information.
Your arrival date will depend on your school's specific arrival and return to campus plan. In most cases, expect Orientation activities for Fall 2020 to be conducted on-line. Your school will announce when on-campus classes and other activities will begin and end.
If you are unable to arrive on campus by the announced arrival date, please let the International Center know. Depending on the length of your delay, you may need to defer your arrival at Tufts until the next available term. Read our FAQs on deferrals and leaves of absence for more information.
You are not required to come to the US if you do not feel comfortable or safe doing so at this time. However, please talk to your school about options for possibly starting your education on-line from your home country. Most schools are making on-line options available for its incoming students (however, a few graduate or professional programs in the health sciences may require in-person attendance for clinical training and related activities). Availability of on-line options will differ from school to school and program to program. You may also ask them if there are options to simply defer to a later semester.
Once you have discussed the matter with your school and confirmed your decision, please notify your International Center advisor.
New Students: Programs Starting On-line for Fall 2020
New students should not plan to come to the US if their Tufts programs will offer only on-line classes during the Fall 2020 semester or if their classes do not require physical attendance / physical presence at Tufts. In this case, you should plan to arrive on a student visa only when it is required for you to come to campus to continue your studies.
Do not start or continue the I-20 application process at this time. Your International Center advisor will reach out to you by mid- to late July to provide instructions regarding the I-20 application process for Spring 2021.
Your International Center advisor will contact you later in July about what to do with your I-20 if you already received it for Fall 2020, and your program has since made the decision to transition to fully on-line courses for the semester.
If your arrival will be in Spring 2021, you will not need to reapply for the I-20. The International Center will work with you starting in July to reissue the document for a Spring 2021 start date.
If your arrival in the US will be after Spring 2021, your Fall 2020 I-20 will need to be canceled and reissued for Fall 2021 or later. The International Center will start working on I-20s for Fall 2021 starting in early Spring 2021.
Undergraduate students should note that arrival in Spring 2021 is only possible if you actually start classes in Fall 2020. However, if you request to defer your program so that you can take a gap year, your deferral may be for 1 to 2 years. Please talk to the Admissions office if you have further questions.
If you applied for and received an I-20 for Fall 2020, but are now delayed in coming until the Spring 2021 semester, you should not need to reapply for the I-20. Your International Center advisor will reissue a new I-20 to you for the Spring 2021 semester.
If you have not yet already applied for an I-20, you will be given instructions by early 2021 regarding the process for applying for an I-20 for Fall 2021.
New Students: Other Questions
The International Center has assigned international student advisors to each school. To find your international student advisor, go to https://icenter.tufts.edu/contact/contact-advisor/. You can also schedule brief appointments with your advisor by going to https://icenter.tufts.edu/contact/appointments.
See our expanded FAQs on deferrals and leaves of absence.
New students should talk to their Admissions office about their school's deferral policies. Whether or not deferrals will be granted depends on each school and program and is not up to the International Center.
If a deferral is granted, you will need to contact the International Center to notify us that your deferral request has been approved. An International Center advisor will work with you at that time to defer your I-20 (if already issued) or inform you about the I-20 application process for arrival in the US when you are ready to start on-campus instruction at Tufts.
Tufts University does not require its students to have any particular type of visa. Your ability to take classes at Tufts is based on admissions and enrollment qualifications alone, and does not depend on immigration status.
In addition, Tufts does not require you to have a student visa in order to take classes and study at Tufts. However, if you come to the US on another type of visa, it is your responsibility to understand whether or not your visa type allows you to study. For example, the following types of visas do not permit study or allows only part-time study:
- B-1/B-2 visitors are not permitted to study toward a degree or certificate objective; only casual, recreational study is permitted
- WB / WT visa waiver '90-day' visitors are subject to the same rules as B-1/B-2 visitors
- F-2 dependent spouses and children are limited to part-time study only at the college / university level
Persons who are in the US on work visas or diplomatic visas should consult with their employers, missions, or other visa sponsor regarding eligibility to study.
Please read our expanded FAQs on practical training as well as our June 28 post on the topic.
In general, practical training (including curricular practical training and optional practical training) require two semesters of full-time study in the US. If you start your F-1 status at later point, you will need to complete two semesters of full-time study in the US before qualifying for OPT or CPT. The only exception may be for graduate students in programs that require first year internship or practicum experience; if this applies to you, you may qualify for CPT authorization.