UW and ISS Home to nearly 10,000 International Students
Each autumn, thousands of new international students travel to the United States to attend the University of Washington Seattle campus, ranked number 12 in the nation for the most international students. Arriving in the United States can be a challenge itself as students must navigate the immigration process of obtaining an F-1 or J-1 student visa. After arrival, new students are required to report to ISS through the Immigration Check-in process which begins their journey at the UW.
This autumn, International Student Services welcomed nearly 2,500 new F and J international students to the University of Washington Seattle campus. Of these, 41% are undergraduate students while 52% are Master’s and Ph.D. graduate students with the remaining 7% J-1 exchange students.
This makes the University of Washington Seattle campus home to around 10,400 F and J students including almost 7,800 enrolled students and around 2,600 alumni on work authorization.
By the Numbers
Autumn 2023
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2,500 New Students Welcomed
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7,800 Total Enrolled Students
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2,600 Students on OPT or AT
"I just visited ISS... I am very satisfied and grateful for the support I had. They were very helpful."
-International Student
ISS Supports Students during Studies and Beyond
International Student Services (ISS) supports both the enrolled 7,800 students and the 2,600 alumni on work authorization under their F and J status. The ISS team is made up of professional advisers trained to help students navigate the complexities of F and J immigration regulation limitations and benefits. Our team serves students through virtual and in-person advising, processing immigration benefits such as work authorizations, and generally advocating for international students across campus within the government.
Our work with international students does not stop at graduation. Many students go on to work in the United States under OPT, STEM OPT, and Academic Training work authorizations. During this time, students continue to receive immigration advising from ISS and must regularly report their employment details.
Our purpose is to make sure students succeed academically and professionally through immigration compliance.
By the Numbers
Autumn 2023
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4,435 Travel Signatures Processed
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1,009 CPT and OPT I-20s Issued
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915 Advising Sessions
"The basic information is very well covered by ISS, and they strive to get every one informed on the critical aspects of immigration."
-International Student
Looking Forward
This quarter, we welcomed 3 new international student advisers to our team. These advisers have now completed their training allowing ISS to increase the number of timeslots during virtual and in-person advising. We hope this will also significantly decrease the response time for incoming emails.
Additionally, we are working to approve our website. Many students have told us that the ISS website can be difficult to navigate and understand. We hear you! Over the next quarter, we are collecting student input on improvements to our website with the intention of making updates in the spring. Our goal is to make it easier to navigate and understand not only immigration regulations but also processes such as CPT authorization.
As the new year begins, we look forward to the continued relationships between our team, international students, and campus partners.
Originally published 12/2023