While preparing for your travels, it is important to complete forms promptly and communicate regularly with PLU offices. Since each student will be completing his/her preparation process at different times, there is no specific timeline to follow. Therefore, after being admitted by PLU, you should start to prepare as soon as possible and accomplish the to-do-list below before your departure for the United States.
Check to make sure your I-20 accurately reflects your first, last, middle name and date of birth. If you find any error, please quickly contact Office of Admissions. For undergraduate students, contact Sheila Hinderer (hindersa@plu.edu) For graduate students, contact Tracy Preston (preston@plu.edu)
Make an appointment with the U.S. Embassy of General Consulate in your country and complete the application for your student visa interview. Be sure to contact Sheila Hinderer (hindersa@plu.edu) about your visa interview date.
Check to make sure your visa accurately reflects your first, last and middle name, visa classification (F-1) and states "Pacific Lutheran University" as name of institution. If you find any error, immediately contact the local U.S. Embassy or General Consulate.
Look at item 9 of your I-20 for mandatory International Student Orientation date and make sure you will be on-campus at 9AM on that date, ready to attend orientation sessions. If you plan to live on-campus move in date is usually on Sunday before orientation begins.
Note that F-1 students are not permitted to enter US more than 30 days before their program start date. This date is normally the 1st day of Mandatory International Student Orientation date. Look at item 5 of your I-20 to find your program start date.
Email Sheila Hinderer (hindersa@plu.edu) your flight information including airlines, flight number, dates, times, departing city. Nearest airport from PLU is Seattle Tacoma International Airport (SEA) located approximately 45 minutes by driving.
Matriculated Students need to arrange their own airport pick-up by using service from Capital Aeroporter or Shuttle Express. Be sure to be dropped off in front of "Harstad Residence Hall" where Campus Safety Office is located. Campus Safety can assist you to find where you need to go. If you have on-campus housing assingment, International Peer Advisor will meet you at Campus Safety and can take you to your residence hall room.
Transition Students will be picked up at the airport by a service provided by Study Group.
Go to www.plu.edu/myepass and follow the instructions. You will be asked to enter your PLU student ID number.
Start using your PLU email address (Google mail) as soon as you activate your ePass. You can log into your new PLU email account here: https://mail.google.com/a/plu.edu/. Please check this account at least a few times per week. You may set all emails that comes to your PLU email account to be forward to your personal email account at the "setting" section. You will be receiving pre-orientation emails.
New Transition students will create ePass during Orientation!
Once you started using your PLU email address, your next task is to open a Banner account. Banner is essentially a university database. Access to banner will allow you to do many things online. Please carefully follow this instruction to open your account. We will go over features of Banner during Orientation.
New Transition students will open Banner during Orientation!
Once your banner account has been opened, now it's time for you to sign Payment Contract. Watch a video on right to learn step by step of how to do this.
New Transition students do not need to sign payment contract!
Matriculated Students are should take the math placement exam online before arriving to PLU. Please read the instruction CAREFULLY.
If you an exchange student, you do not need to take this Math Placement Test unless you would like to be enrolled in a Math class at PLU.
New Transition students will take the Math Placement Exam during Orientation.
View the Online Class Schedule to explore class offerings.
Transition class schedules are not available online but we will take care of you once you get here.
After you pay advanced tuition deposit to PLU, you will receive a special email address from Office of Admission to get in touch with Academic Advising Office. Academic Advising office staff will assist you with your course selection. If you are Non-degree seeking students, please speak to your home institutions' advisors regarding class registration.
If you are Transition students, you may be registered for PLU classes after English assessment during Orientation.
Base upon your student type, download the right orientation schedule.
Get dental and optical check-ups before departure. However, do not get any immunization shots. We will take care of them here if you need them.