Accepted Student Checklist

All students must demonstrate financial ability to support the cost of attendance for one year of studies. You will need to provide the following two documents as follows:

1. Financial Statement for International Students (FSIS) Form OR Affidavit of support issued by notary or bank official: This document must be signed by you and your sponsor. If you have multiple sponsors, please submit an FSIS form for each sponsor, or ensure that your affidavit of support has all necessary signatures. If you are self-sponsored, this document is not required.
2. Bank Statement/Bank Letter: Your financial document must demonstrate a minimum balance to cover the cost of your program in liquid funds, and must be dated within 6 months from the time your I-20 is issued. Students may deduct their academic merit scholarship from the total amount required to be issued an I-20.
   • Financial Guarantee/Scholarship Award Letter: Alternatively, students may provide a letter from your sponsoring organization confirming that you will be receiving additional scholarship funds from an external source or from a government sponsored scholarship such as SACM, The Kuwait Cultural Division or The Embassy of the United Arab Emirates.

You should upload your documents into your applicant portal online. Your I-20 will be sent to you via email with your admissions package.

Students outside the U.S.A.

When you receive your I-20, contact the U.S. Embassy in your home country to make an appointment for an F-1 Visa or a J-1 Visa interview right away. Please do NOT make an appointment until you received your I-20.

• U.S. Embassy in your country
• Pay the SEVIS Fee online before you go to the U.S. Embassy

Learn more about preparing for your visa interview.

Visa Tip: If your visa gets denied, don’t give up! Try again! Many of our students have been able to secure their visa after their first attempt.

Students currently in the U.S.A.

International students in the U.S.A. who wish to transfer to UB should follow the transfer instructions sent to them along with their acceptance letter. For more information, please email internationaloffice@bridgeport.edu.

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Access your application portal by logging in at www.bridgeport.edu/apply and upload your Visa. Be sure all the information on your Visa is accurate and spelled correctly!

Be sure to schedule your health exam and vaccination appointments!

• Health form
• Vaccine form

To begin your travel, please follow all the instructions given to you with the I-20 and plan your trip to the United States so that you arrive no sooner than 30 days prior to your program start date on your I-20.

Arrivals from JFK or LaGuardia Airport: We advise international students to choose JFK as their arrival airport as this is the most convenient airport for international arrivals. We recommend making a shuttle reservation with Go Shuttle of Connecticut before your departure. When you arrive at LaGuardia or JFK, go to the Ground Transportation Center/Welcome Center and use the provided phones to inform Go Shuttle of your arrival. Go Shuttle is only available from LaGuardia or JFK Airports and goes directly to the UB campus. For more information, visit Go Shuttle at www.goairportshuttle.com or call (877-544-4646).

Arrivals from Newark Liberty International Airport: Make reservations with the Amtrak Train to go from Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) directly to Bridgeport, CT (BRP) at www.amtrak.com. Please ensure that your train leaves at least 3 hours after your flight arrives to allow enough time to pass through immigration and collect your luggage. Once you have your luggage, look for signs for the airport’s AirTrain. You will take the AirTrain to the Rail Link with NJ Transit and Amtrak (after P4 Station). You can board your reserved Amtrak Train from the open platform at the EWR Station. When you arrive at the Bridgeport train station, go downstairs to the taxi cab stand and take a 5 minute cab ride directly to campus.

Note: DO NOT TAKE A TAXI FROM ANY NEW YORK OR NEW JERSEY AIRPORT TO CAMPUS! It’s very expensive.

By car:
Traveling South on I-95: Take Exit 27. At the traffic light at the bottom of the exit ramp, turn left. Take a left at the next stoplight under the I-95 overpass. (Make sure not to get back on the I-95 North entrance ramp.) At the next light, turn right onto Broad St. Continue on Broad St. until you come to Gregory St. Turn right onto Gregory St. Proceed down Gregory St. for one block. Turn left on Myrtle Ave. You may park in the parking lot on the right side. The Student Center is the red brick building on the left.

Traveling North on I-95: Take Exit 27. At the bottom of the ramp, continue straight to the third traffic light. (Make sure to bear to the right off the I-95 North entrance ramp.) At the third traffic light, turn right onto Broad St. Continue on Broad St. until you come to Gregory St. Turn right onto Gregory St. Proceed down Gregory St. for one block. Turn left on Myrtle Ave. You may park in the parking lot on the right side. The Student Center is the red brick building on the left.

Visit www.bridgeport.edu/ubnet to create your UBNet ID which provides access to the myUB Portal, Canvas, Web Advisor, UB mail (available after registering for classes), your schedule, grades, and university notifications. You will need your student ID number in order to create your UBNet ID. This number is available on your acceptance letter.

Questions? Visit the UBNet Knowledge base.

Students can follow the “Next Steps” found on their application portal to submit their deposits through UB’s Website. Or, you may use FlyWire.

Pay your tuition deposit as soon as you obtain your student visa to reserve your place in the program. The tuition deposit for all undergraduate and graduate students is $400. If you intend to live on campus, you should also submit a housing deposit of $250 to secure a room on campus. You may also add the housing deposit to your tuition deposit and send just one total deposit amount. The tuition deposit is non-refundable.

You may also send a bank check or money order, drawn on a U.S. bank, payable to the “University of Bridgeport.” Please mail your bank check or money order to the following address:

University of Bridgeport
Office of Admissions
126 Park Avenue
Bridgeport, CT 06604, U.S.A.

You should include your full name (family name and first name) and your University ID number with ALL deposit payments. Your University ID number is on your acceptance letter.

Students planning to live on campus:

Email to make housing arrangements (this includes a roommate compatibility survey, graduate non-traditional housing preference, housing contract, etc.).

The standard housing deposit is $250; housing deposit amounts may vary depending on your housing location. You may add the housing deposit to your tuition deposit and send one amount of money.

New students under the age of 21 years old are required to live on campus.

If you have questions, please contact the Residential Life office at . If you arrive on campus between 9:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., you are welcome to visit the Residential Life Office, located at Seeley Hall, 490 Waldemere Avenue (rear entrance) for more information about your housing assignment. If you already have your housing assignment, you can report to your housing location directly to be checked in by a Resident Director or Resident Advisor.

If you arrive on campus after 4:30 pm without a housing assignment, you may go directly to the Security office in Norseman Hall located at 100 Linden Avenue, Bridgeport, CT 06604 (entrance accessible from parking lot), where you will receive instructions for temporary overnight accommodation. The next morning, go to the Residential Life Office to be assigned your permanent housing.

Residential Life contact information:

Phone: 203-576-4228
Email:
Fax: 203-576-4461

Campus Security contact information:

Phone: 203-576-4913
Email:
Fax: 203-576-4910

Students planning to live off campus:

If you do not plan to live in a UB residence hall but have not yet arranged for off-campus housing, you may want to arrange for a temporary stay at one of the local hotels listed below:

Note: Temporary housing may be available for new domestic or international students in our residence halls. You may log into your UB portal, select the housing icon, and then apply for temporary housing.

Hotel accommodations - Be sure to mention you are a UB student!

• SpringHill Suites by Marriott, Milford 203-283-0200
• Hyatt Place, Milford 203-877-9800
• Fairfield Inn, Fairfield, 203-255-0491
• Milford Red Roof Inn, Milford, 800-843-7663
• Trumbull Marriott, Trumbull, 800-228-9290
• Homewood Suites, Stratford, 203-377-3322

Please make sure you have set up your UBNet account and completed your Arrival Form. Once those items are done, your advisor will contact you to register for classes.

Students must obtain their Visa and submit their tuition deposit before registering for classes. Then, please contact your student advisor. You may find this information by logging into Web Advisor or Student Planner with your UBNet account.

• Attend passport check in session - in person
• Submit health forms if not done yet
• Attend Orientation
  • Immigration meeting is part of Orientation
• Submit emergency contact form through MyUB

What is a check in session? Who should attend?

Student passport check-in is a mandatory process as per immigration policy and the university has a deadline to report your physical presence and your enrollment to U.S. Immigration authorities. All students are required to complete the passport check-in process with the International Center for Students and Scholars, including:

• Students who are entering the U.S. for the first time on a UB I-20 or DS-2019
• Students who have been in the U.S. on an I-20 or DS-2019 from another school and are transferring to UB
• Students who have attended UB’s English Language Institute and received a new I-20 from International Admissions Office for a degree program

What should I bring to my check in session?

Please bring the following documents to your check in session:

• Any outstanding official test scores or academic documents, as listed on your acceptance letter.
• Passport(s)
• Visa + Entry Stamp (Received at the port of entry)
• I-20 or DS2019 (For transfer students: please bring all previous I-20s or DS2019s)
• Local U.S. address & local phone number (Tip: Write this in a notebook or on your phone in advance so that you have it available when filling out important forms)

You will need to fill out a U.S. address form. Make sure you know the complete address (including street number, street name, apartment number, city, state and postal code) if you live off campus. In addition, you must provide emergency contact information in your home country (first, last name of a person to contact in case of an emergency, street address, city, state, country, postal code, telephone number, email address). Here is an example local U.S. address for correct formatting: 222 Happy Lane, Apt 1B, Bridgeport, CT 06604 (You may also view an example address here.)

We would like for you to be comfortable while at University of Bridgeport — your new home away from home. The following is a list of items that international students frequently forget when packing for their arrival to campus:

• Phone number/address of any friends and relatives in the U.S.A.
• Toiletries such as soap, shampoo, shaving cream, etc.
• Snacks from your home country - Students often report experiencing home sickness, especially from their native foods during their first semester on campus. Some of your favorite snacks will help ease you into the campus community, and American living.
• Winter coats and warm clothes. It’s cold here in the winter.
• An extra pair of reading glasses
• Some traditional outfits from your country, for the International Festival at UB
• Favorite music from your country.
• Outlet adapters to use electrical goods from your country in the U.S.A.
• Pictures of loved ones