New F-1 Students

You will not need to apply for an F-1 visa at a US consulate. Instead, you will enter the US with the following documents:

• Form I-20, printed and signed
• Valid passport
• RISD acceptance letter
• Copies of your financial documents

Receive your I-20 form from Admissions. You must first be accepted to RISD, provide Admissions with required documents and pay your enrollment deposit.

Instructions will be provided to you by Admissions throughout the process. If you have questions, please email admissions@risd.edu.

You may enter the US 30 days prior to the program start date listed on your I-20 form. 

After you receive your I-20 form, you must pay the I-901 Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVIS) fee electronically.

You will receive instructions along with your I-20 form. After you make your I-901 payment, be sure to keep your receipt; you will need it for your visa appointment.

You may only apply for an F-1 visa at a US embassy or consulate outside of the US, preferably one in your home country.

At your appointment, you must present the following:

• RISD I-20 form
• Valid passport
• RISD acceptance letter
• Declaration of finances form and financial statement(s)
• I-901 payment receipt

Be sure to check your local embassy/consulate’s website to see if you need to present additional documents at your appointment, as well as to view processing times.

• Clothing: You should bring clothing for all weather. Temperatures in Rhode Island range from 18–37 degrees celsius in summer (June–September) to -3–6 degrees celsius with snow in winter (December–March). To help prepare, you can view monthly weather projections on weather.com.
• Art supplies: Wait until you arrive to buy art materials. You will receive very specific supply lists for each class you take here.
• Housing supplies and bedding: Buy these when you arrive or order ahead and schedule a delivery to RISD.

Upon landing in the US, be ready to present all important documents to Customs and Border Protection (CBP). 

For F-1 students, these include:

• original I-20 (bring any previous I-20s you have as well)
• passport (must be valid for at least six months after arrival)
• F-1 student visa (Canadian citizens do not require a visa before entry)
• declaration of finances form and supporting bank statements (same as those that you brought to your visa interview)
• RISD acceptance letter
• any other official forms of personal identification

Your airline will give you a form to complete and then give to the CBP officer as you go through Customs. The information you provide will be entered into the automated I-94 system and become your arrival/departure document.

During the CBP inspection process

• Provide all necessary documents to the CBP officer.
• Upon review, the CBP officer will stamp your forms and documents. If entering the US with an F-1 visa, make sure that the CBP does not record you as a tourist.
• You electronic devices are subject to being searched. If the officer determines that they need to search your electronic devices, you may need to complete a supplemental questions for visa applicants form.
• If you experience trouble making it through Customs, call RISD Public Safety at +1 401-454–6376. They will put you in touch with us for advice.
• Direct any complaints you have about CBP to either a CBP supervisor or commander. If you need to discuss your complaint further, speak with your international student advisor when you arrive on campus.

Once you arrive, CBP records your information electronically. This will become your I-94 record. 

You can find your most recent I-94 from the Department of Homeland Security’s official I-94 website. (You will read the notification and select “Consent and Continue” to proceed.) From there:

1. Provide the required information and select “Next” to access to your current I-94.
2. Check your I-94 to confirm your name, personal information, visa category, and expiration date of authorized stay. Your expiration date should read “D/S” (Duration of Stay). The name on your I-94 should match that on your passport.
3. If you find errors, contact CBP as soon as possible. You can contact us for help reaching CBP.
4. If you don’t find errors, print your I-94. Keep it with your I-20 and passport.

When you arrive in the US, you will need to complete an online Arrival Form via the Terra Dotta student portal.  The arrival form must be completed within 15 days of the program start date listed on your I-20 form.  Please review our Terra Dotta guide before starting the check-in process.

You will not receive a paper I-94 unless you enter the US by car or boat.

Please keep a copy of your I-94 record (print or digital) on your person at all times when you are in the US. Every time you re-enter the US from a trip abroad, retrieve your new I-94 record and keep the most recent one on your person.

For students who will live on-campus and have questions about move-in or living on campus, please see Residence Life.

If you are a first-year student, you may defer your admission for one year, pending approval of the Admissions Office. Deferrals run through the entire academic year—you may not begin your studies in the spring semester.

To request a deferral, you must first submit your nonrefundable enrollment deposit. After you do so, you should access your applicant portal and follow the prompts for deferring admission.

Transfer students cannot request deferred admission except in very rare circumstances.

Please see RISD's deferral FAQs for more information.

Our office is attentive to all changes to immigration policy that affect RISD students. We will send an email in the event of any changes that impact you, so pay attention to your RISD inbox.

Travel restrictions may change without warning. For up-to-date travel and visa information, you should visit the website of your home country’s US embassy.

If you are flying to another country and have questions about entry restrictions, either contact your airline or the government of the country to which you’re traveling.

Yes. Please email Residence Life to let them know about your late-arriving flight and call Public Safety to provide them with your RISD ID/key access. We will work with Residence Life and Public Safety to assist you.

If you are detained in secondary inspection, the Customs and Border Protection officer detaining you will ask questions beyond what they would if just going through customs. Answer all questions truthfully.

If you encounter further issues while detained, you can call our office at 401-277-4957 during normal business hours (8:30 am–4:30 pm eastern). If traveling outside ISSA business hours, call Public Safety at 401-454-6376. They will know how to reach an international student advisor.

Travel signatures are valid for one year* and cover multiple trips. You only need one when traveling internationally—you do not need to “renew” it otherwise.

* This applies to currently enrolled students. If you are an alum on post-completion OPT or STEM OPT, your travel signature is valid for six months. 

For currently enrolled students, the travel signature you provided on the second page of your current I-20 is valid for one year for multiple entries into the US.

If you are an alum on post-completion OPT or STEM OPT, your travel signature is valid for six months.

If your travel signature is set to expire by the time you will return to the US, you need to request one from our office via the Terra Dotta student portal in order to obtain a new travel signature.