International Student Welcome

The International Student Welcome (ISW) is a required program for all incoming first-year and transfer students holding an F-1 visa. ISW aims to connect international students and students with an international background to campus resources and the Emory community – with the hopes of facilitating a smoother transition into life on campus and in the United States.

ISW is designed for students who have spent a significant portion of their lives outside the United States. While required for students on an F-1 visa, first-year green card holders, exchange students, dual citizens currently residing abroad, and U.S. citizens who have completed their high school education overseas to participate in ISW are also invited to attend.

ISW will run from Monday, August 18 to Friday, August 22, 2025. Following ISW, students will proceed to attend the mandatory Emory Orientation Week, which will be held from Saturday, August 23 to Tuesday, August 26, 2025. You can find further information about Orientation here on our website.

FEES
There is a $250 fee for ISW that will be charged to your student account in early July to cover the costs of this program. These fees may be waived for students with scholarships. Fees may not be waived if you are on an F-1 visa and unable to attend.

If you arrive after August 18, you will still be charged the full ISW fee of $250.

MOVE-IN
ISW participants will move in to their assigned 2025-2026 residence hall on Monday, August 18. 

Transportation
We provide transportation to pick up students from the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport directly to Emory campus in Atlanta on Monday, August 18 between the hours of 8:00am and 9:15pm ESTonly.

If you plan to arrive outside of these dates and times, you will need to arrange for your own transportation to campus and coordinate with Emory Residence Life and Housing. We will provide more information closer to move-in on how to use a taxi, Uber, or Lyft to get to campus.

The full ISW student schedule will be posted on the Emory Welcome App on July 15, 2025.

In addition to the student program, we also run a special program specifically for parents and families of incoming international students. More details coming soon.

For questions about ISW, please contact us at ec.isw@emory.edu.

For other questions about international students policies and processes, please visit the International Student and Scholar Services website or email us at newfjstudent@emory.edu.