International students who are outside of the United States (or need to depart the United States) will apply for a student visa once officially and unconditionally admitted by the Graduate School or Undergraduate Admissions. The U.S. visa application process can be lengthy, taking anywhere from 2-3 weeks to several months.
The summer months are particularly busy at all U.S. Consulates abroad due to the high number of students admitted to colleges/universities for the fall semester, as well as other travelers seeking tourist visas. November and December are also busy due to holiday closures.
In view of this, we recommend that graduate departments make decisions about their international applicants as early as possible for the applicants to . . .
- Obtain official and unconditional admission from the Graduate School.
- Submit their online request to International Student Services for a Form I-20 or DS-2019, which is needed for the visa appointment and entry to the U.S.
- Complete the necessary visa application and interview processes with the U.S. Consulate.
- Arrive on campus in time for International Student Orientation, required SEVIS reporting and check-in with International Student Services, and course enrollment.
International Student Services will not be able to reach out to or issue Initial I-20s/DS-2019s for international applicants who do not have a decision made by the deadlines below.
| Semester |
I-20/DS-2019 deadline |
| Fall |
June 30 |
| Spring |
November 20 |
| Summer |
April 20 |
Note: Some applicants may be in the United States in another visa type that does not allow for full-time study and/or on-campus employment (for example, F-2 or H-4 dependent). Individuals in other visa types may need to travel outside of the United States to change their visa status and would be subject to the deadlines above.
Applicants who are already in the F-1 student status and studying at another school in the United States have a later admission deadline that varies each semester. You can contact International Student Services at isodoc@lsu.edu for this information.