Frequently Asked Questions
- How can I get an I20 when I am coming from my country? How long does it take for the IEI to process it? What about if I am transferring from another American school?
- Can I fax my application?
- Can I come into the country on a tourist or business visa and get a student visa after I have arrived?
- Can I bring my family?
- Who will the other students be?
- Where would I live?
- How many hours a week will I attend class?
- What about health care?
- Where is Urbana-Champaign?
- Where can I see a map of the University campus?
- What is the weather like in Champaign-Urbana?
- How do I get to Urbana-Champaign?
- Do I have to have a certain TOEFL score to attend the IEI?
- Will the IEI help me improve my TOEFL score?
- Will I get university credit for my IEI classes?
- Does attendance at the IEI guarantee admission to the University of Illinois?
- Can I take U of I classes while I am an IEI student?
- What should I bring?
- What kind of social activities are there for IEI students?
- What does the U of I campus offer to IEI students?
- How easy is it to travel to other places from C-U?
- Who can I write to ask more questions?
- How can I get an I20 for the first time from my country? How long does it take for the IEI to process it? What about if I am transferring from another American school?
If you are coming from your country (not transferring from another American school), in order to get an I20, you need to send in an application along with the application fee and an original copy of your financial statement and transcripts. When the IEI receives these documents, it generally takes 2-3 days to process them before we send out the I-20. If you request it, the I-20 can be sent back to you by express mail. If you are already in the country and will be transferring directly to the IEI, you will receive your new I20 after you register. However, if you will be traveling OUTSIDE the U.S. before arriving to the IEI, please let us know and we will mail the new I-20 to your current address.
- Can I fax my application?
You can fax your application, but you must also send us an original copy of your financial statement and school transcripts as well as the application fee paid in dollars by check, money order or credit card.
- Can I come into the country on a tourist or business visa and get a student visa after I have arrived?
No, it is absolutely impossible to change from W-T (tourist) or W-B (business) status to any kind of visa without leaving the U.S. These visas expire in two to three months, and you MUST GO HOME when it does. It will probably expire before the IEI semester is finished. So you need to go through the application process described on our application webpage to be sure you have the correct visa type before coming to the IEI. If you enter on a B1/B2 visa, it is also impossible to change your immigration status unless you have a "prospective student" annotation (note) in your passport. Even then, the student CANNOT begin a course of study until his or her application for change of status to F1 is approved. Processing time at some USCIS Service Centers can be quite long.
- Can I bring my family?
Students with an F1 student visa can bring in their spouse (husband or wife) and their children as long as they can demonstrate enough financial support for them. The University of Illinois has housing for married students (with or without children).
- Who will the other students be?
Our students come from all over the world, although the majority come from Asia. A few of the countries represented by our students are Korea, Japan, Thailand, Venezuela, Argentina, Colombia, Mexico, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Russia, and Spain. Most students are in their 20's or 30's, though we do have older students as well as some in their late teens. Many are either preparing for entrance into a US university graduate or undergraduate program or taking a year off from college studies in their own countries to improve their English in the US.
- Where would I live?
You have many possibilities such as:
- living among University of Illinois undergraduate students
- living in graduate residence halls
- living in University-approved private housing
- living in apartments.
Check our housing page to get more specific information.
- How many hours a week will I attend class?
All students with a normal F-1 visa need to attend 20 hours of class per week as specified in their student schedules. F1 students are not permitted to attend the IEI part-time (less than 20 hours a week). Students must come to class to maintain their immigration status. Part time attendance may be possible for students with other types of visas (F2/J2).
- What about health care?
All U of I and IEI students must have health insurance. You can either purchase the student health insurance offered through the university or arrange health insurance from your home country. If you don't already have private insurance when you register, you will be charged for student insurance. Most students decide to use the student health insurance. The University of Illinois has a student health care center that IEI students and U of I students use for non-emergency medical care such as treatment of colds and flu. All students must ALSO have health insurance to cover illness or accident that cannot be treated at the University of Illinois Student Health Center.
- Where is Champaign-Urbana?
Champaign-Urbana is located in east central Illinois, about 2 1/2 hours south of Chicago and 3 hours east of St. Louis. See the map on the About IEI page.
- Where can I see a map of the University campus?
Here is an interactive map of the University of Illinois campus.
- What is the weather like in Champaign-Urbana?
Champaign-Urbana has four seasons. Spring and fall are cool, summers are quite warm and winters are usually cold and often snowy. This webpage will give you can get an idea of the average temperatures in our area.
- How do I get to Champaign-Urbana?
The easiest way to get to Urbana-Champaign is by flying directly in to our local Willard Airport. Several airlines have flights that come into Willard from St. Louis, Detroit and Chicago every day. You can also fly into a major neighboring city like Chicago, St. Louis or Indianapolis, but then you will have to find a way to get here from there. Some options include renting a car or taking a shuttle bus or the train to get here. DO NOT TAKE A TAXI as it is very expensive. Check out our pre-arrival page for more information
- Do I have to have a certain TOEFL score to attend the IEI?
You do not have to have a specific TOEFL score to attend the IEI. Once you arrive, you will take the IEI's placement test to determine your level of proficiency and your level in our system.
- Will the IEI help me improve my TOEFL score?
The IEI offers two free institutional TOEFL exams to its students during the fall and spring semesters, one at the beginning of the semester and one at the end. Because it is an institutional TOEFL, the results are only valid at the University of Illinois, but the experience should help you perform better on the International TOEFL. In addition, you can sign up for a TOEFL elective that helps you become familiar with the exam and develop strategies for taking the international TOEFL successfully.
- Will I get university credit for my IEI classes?
You do not receive university credit for courses taken at the IEI. You will receive midterm and final grades, however, which the IEI keeps on record.
- Does attendance at the IEI guarantee admission to the University of Illinois?
Attendance in the IEI does not guarantee admission to the U of I. However, if you are interested in studying here, it helps to be on campus where you can talk personally to people in the departments you want to enter.
- Can I take U of I classes while I am an IEI student?
In general, students can not take U of I classes for credit while they are attending the IEI unless they have already been admitted to the university. However, IEI students in the upper intermediate and advanced levels may choose to audit (attend but not earn credit) a U of I course, if it does not conflict with their IEI class schedule. The IEI will help you determine whether there are appropriate courses for you to audit and if so, will help you make arrangements to do this.
- What should I bring?
- Medical records of your inoculations from your doctor. - This will save you from having to have them again once you get here.
- An international drivers permit - This will be useful if you want to rent or buy a car.
- An electronic dictionary - many students find them very helpful and you won't be able to buy one here.
- Money in travelers checks to open a bank account here. It is best to bring American dollars if possible. The exchange rates here are often not very good.
- Clothes appropriate to the weather. - Champaign-Urbana has four seasons. Summers temperatures range from 25 - 40 degrees centigrade. Students coming during the fall or spring semesters should be prepared for a wide range of temperatures, from warm temperatures in early fall or late spring to cold temperatures in the winter months (December and January). If you do not have the appropriate cold weather clothes (warm coat, hat gloves, scarf, etc.), you will be able to buy them here for a reasonable price.
- What kind of social activities are there for IEI students? The IEI has many social activities for IEI students outside the classroom such as an All-IEI picnic or party at the beginning of the semester, an ice skating party, and a conversation groups for students and teachers that usually meet twice a week. Students can also volunteer for the Student Activities Committee which helps plans these events. In addition, teachers do social activities outside class time with their students at different times during the semester. See the Student Activities and Services page for more information. You can also check out our Event Calendar page to see what is going on in the IEI and on campus.
- What does the U of I campus offer to IEI students?
IEI students have access to a wide variety of on-campus events and facilities. For more information, check out our Event Calendar Page and our Campus/Community Information page.
- How easy is it to travel to other places from C-U?
It's easy to get where you want to go from C-U because we are centrally located in the US. Students can fly out of Champaign's Willard Airport to get to destinations all across the country. In addition, Champaign is on major bus and train routes and is a 2-3 hour drive away from 3 major airports: Chicago, Indianapolis and St. Louis.
- Who can I write to ask more questions?
You can address any other questions you have to iei@uiuc.edu.