Submission of this form requests permission from The Graduate School for a graduate student in your department to arrive on campus after the first day of the semester, but no later than the 10th day of the semester. The form must be submitted by the department. Any forms submitted by students will be denied. Late arrival requests are reviewed on a case-by-case basis and approval is not guaranteed.

We advise that students do not finalize any travel arrangements until the department has received confirmation from The Graduate School that permission for a late arrival has been granted.

Departments should only request a late arrival if the student and department are confident the student will be able to arrive on campus by the 10th day of the semester. If the student or department is not confident the student will be able to arrive on campus by the 10th day of the semester, the student should strongly consider deferring admission* (incoming/new student) or requesting an academic leave of absence (returning/current student). 

*The form to request a deferral is located in the Account & Forms area of a student's Application Status Portal.

Students are not able to participate in their classes until they have arrived in the United States. This preserves an incoming graduate student’s ability to request a deferral of admission to a future semester and a current student’s ability to cancel enrollment and request academic leave. (Students who participate in courses and then are ultimately unable to arrive would be subject to the University's Full Withdrawal Tuition and Fee Adjustment Schedule.) In considering requesting an exception for a late arrival, the student, department, and advisor should carefully consider the potential academic consequences of a graduate student arriving late and needing to catch up on coursework. 

Please be aware that students who are citizens of a comprehensively sanctioned country have an enrollment hold on their account that prevents them from registering for courses until they have arrived in the U.S. and checked in with ISSS. Departments may need to assist these students with identifying classes and enrolling immediately upon arrival. 

An exception to arrive late should only be requested if the student is confident they will be able to arrive on campus by the 10th day of the semester. The 10th day of the semester is the latest arrival date that will be approved. If the student is not confident they will be able to arrive to campus by the 10th day of the semester, the student should strongly consider deferring admission or requesting an academic leave of absence. 

Graduate students who have been appointed as Graduate Assistants (GA) and arrive after their appointment start date are not authorized to begin their GA duties until they have arrived in the U.S. The business days between the start date of the graduate student’s GA appointment and the date they arrive in the U.S. will be considered part of the GA’s contractually allotted time off (Article 33). This time off is paid. As the GA cannot begin work until they arrive in the U.S., the department may need to make arrangements to temporarily cover the GA’s duties until the GA has arrived. It is the department's responsibility to verify that the GA supervisor(s) support a late arrival for the assistantship before submitting a late arrival request form. 

If the GA will arrive after their appointment start date but before the first day of the semester, the GA can work directly with their GA supervisor to use time off for the business days between the start date of the graduate student’s GA appointment and the date they arrive in the U.S. and approval of a late arrival from The Graduate School is not needed. 

Incoming students who decide to request a deferral cannot have participated in any classes. The form to request a deferral is located in the Account & Forms area of a student's Application Status Portal. Students who participate in classes must request an academic leave of absence and will be subject to the University's Full Withdrawal Tuition and Fee Adjustment Schedule. The decision to enroll in a zero-credit continuous registration course must be made prior to the first day of the semester.