Before You Start

Soon you’ll be at Florida International University in Miami, Florida. Before you arrive, complete the steps below to avoid common issues or delays for international students. If you have any questions, contact us and we’ll be happy to help!

We have a team of dedicated personal advisors to answer your questions and ensure you have a smooth transition to the university. If you have any questions about next steps, please contact us at admissions@shorelight.com

Review your conditional offer letter and make sure that you have submitted all documents listed as missing.

Once all your documents are submitted, please submit your I-20 Request Form along with your financial statements as outlined in the Certificate of Finances.

The university will process your I-20 and email it to you as soon as possible – please expect a minimum of 10 business days.

As soon as you have your I-20, please Apply for Your Visa.

After you receive the electronic copy of your I-20, complete the following steps before booking your visa appointment:
  1. Schedule a free visa information and preparation session with your personal Enrollment Advisor.
  2. Check that the details on your I-20 are correct (including your date of birth) and make sure your name is the same as it appears on your passport.
  3. Prepare the documents you will need to take to the embassy when attending your visa interview.
After you complete the above steps, you should apply for your visa as soon as possible. It requires an interview with the U.S. Embassy and can sometimes take several weeks to schedule.
    1. Complete your Visa Application.
    2. Pay your I-901 (SEVIS) fee.
    3. Visit usembassy.gov to learn more about scheduling your visa appointment, what to expect when you arrive and the documentation you need to take with you.
    4. Notify your personal Enrollment Advisor of the date and embassy of your visa appointment.
    5. Watch these videos to help you apply for your visa and prepare for your interview:

How to Apply for Your F-1 Student Visa

Other links that international students find useful:

We are so excited for you to join us on campus! To ensure a smooth transition to your new home, plan to arrive on or before your official move-in day. Airport pickup is available at Miami International Airport (MIA).

Once you book your flights, you must fill out the student arrival form. If your family is joining you, you must also complete the family arrival form.

We are looking forward to meeting you in person!

Making your payment in full two weeks before you arrive will avoid enrollment delays. Before you submit your payment, make sure you have your acceptance letter in front of you, as you will need to refer to it to complete the payment process.

For all application and payment deadlines, as well as move-in and program start dates, please visit the Important Dates page.

  1. Flywire by Peer Transfer: To submit international and domestic ACH payments via FIU Global’s Flywire portal:
  • Flywire payment options include international wires, international credit cards, and other country specific payment options.
  • Flywire guarantees the best exchange rates, offers 24/7 multilingual customer service, and provides payment tracking and an instant payment receipt.
  • Flywire will be accepting U.S. bank accounts.

You will need to complete and submit the following required forms before your arrival.

There are many things to consider when preparing for university, let alone moving to a new country! To make your transition to the US easier, we’ve put together a list of everyday necessities.

We’ve partnered with campusSIMS to help connect you with mobile phone service. Get your US phone number in your home country and have service that’s ready to use as soon as you land. Click here to get your free SIM card.

campusSIMS helps international students get connected with mobile phone service in the US. Through campusSIMS’ exclusive partner Mint Mobile, students can sign up and get their US phone number while in their home country, and have mobile phone service ready to use as soon as they land.

Students can get low-cost, reliable mobile phone service starting at as low as $15 per month that includes:

  • A free SIM card
  • Unlimited talk and text
  • High speed data
  • Nationwide coverage on the fastest, most advanced network

For more information, visit campussims.com.

Center for Academic Success

A website with access to virtual tutors, career advisors, and online resources to help you throughout your university studies

Getting ready to study abroad can be challenging! Would you like some help with that? Shorelight’s Center for Academic Success (CAS) has many free resources for you! For example, you can watch a quick webinar on Culture Shock and Mental Health, or take a short eLearning course on Obtaining Your Visa, Understanding Health Insurance, Major & Career Exploration, and so much more.

If you wish you could just ask a real person a question, you can also use the Live Chat button to reach one of our highly-trained support staff, or you can schedule a Zoom session with one of our friendly Student Success Coaches, Professional Tutors, or Career Services staff—all of whom are experts at helping international students with anything from pre-arrival support and campus life to academic subject areas and career guidance.

Don’t wait to activate your free account at CAS—you are eligible as soon as you pay your university deposit.

How to register:

  1. Click here or scan the QR code to find our Home page.
  2. Click the orange “Sign up now” button to request access.
  3. On the signup form, type your given name and family name as you are registered at your university.
  4. Type any email address that your university has on file for you (it can be a personal or university email).
  5. Create a password with at least one special character and 6-50 characters total.
  6. Type your password again. Write it down or save it in your browser.
  7. Type the full name of your university, not the abbreviation. Your status must be checked.
  8. Check the first box to accept the Terms & Conditions (feel free to read those first).
  9. Check the last box if you wish to receive emails from us.
  10. Click the large orange button that says, “Start your learning journey.

After you register:

  • After self-registering, you’ll receive an email within two business days to let you know that your account is approved (or if not, how to fix the problem). Just follow the link to log in!
  • Check your spam folder if you don’t see our email within two days—or just return to the Home page linked above to try logging in with your email and password. If you encounter any trouble, just use the Live Chat button at the bottom of our Home page.

 

If you were pre-registered:

  • Some students may be admin-registered at the request of their university to save you the trouble of signing up.
  • If you get an email from Shorelight’s Center for Academic Success saying that your account has been created, just follow the link to complete your registration. You only need to create your password and check the boxes (Steps 5-10 above).
  • If you are told that you were admin-registered, but you can’t find our welcome email, just go to our Home page, click “Sign up now” and complete Steps 3-10. If you can’t guess the right email or how your name was entered, use our LiveChat to get help.
  • Certificates and training:  If you are interested in certifications, Career Premium now offers unlimited access to training courses that lead to certification in Amazon Web Services, Java, Microsoft Azure, and Python, among many other in-demand skills.
  • Coaching and mentorship: Receive direct guidance from career coaches and industry experts on career exploration, skill training, and professional development.
  • The ALEKS assessment tests your current math level. This assessment is solely for students who intend to study in majors in Business, Science, Technology or Mathematics. You can either place in College Algebra, Pre-Calculus, Business Calculus, or Calculus I depending on your major track.
  • For a general overview of the ALEKS test please visit the website: https://www.aleks.com/.
  • You will only be able to take the ALEKS assessment before arriving onto campus and before orientation, and you will receive an email from the team with the link, the ALEKS code that is unique to you, and instructions how to take the test remotely.
  • ALEKS uses an online proctoring (invigilation) service that has a small fee of $5 – you will need to pay using an international credit card or Paypal. If you have any issues with payment of the fee please let us know in advance.
  • The link to take the ALEKS exam is: go.fiu.edu/aleksg1y; remember you will be sent the code and clear instructions what to do in advance.
  • If you fail to take the ALEKS in advance of arrival and fail to respond to emails from the team you MAY be subject to a late fee charge of $250. Please don’t worry – as long as you communicate with us if you are having any difficulties completing the assessment or have issues with payment, we can help you.
  • If you do not take the ALEKS placement test in time, or if you prefer not to take it, or you test lower than you expected, you will automatically be enrolled into MAC1105 in your first semester.
  • The PERT assessment covers your English reading and writing skills. Not all students will be required to take the PERT, but if you are required to take the PERT, you must first do the steps to set up your FIU Account and university email.
  • After you have successfully set up your FIU account, you will need to register for the PERT test in the FIU Testing Center’s online system. Please click here for instructions on how to register for the PERT assessment. Once you have registered, you will receive an email from the University Testing Center with further testing instructions.
  • When you receive the email in your FIU university email, follow the instructions, watch the following video tutorial, and download HonorLock so that you are ready to take the PERT assessment.

Important Dates

For important dates, including payment and move-in dates, please visit our Shorelight profile page.