International Student 

About five (5) business days after admission, you will receive an email to set up your email credentials. This is essential to start the I-20 process.

• Email Set Up  Instructions
• After you activate your SDM account, it is important to protect it.
  • Duo Security Authentication is mandatory for all SDM students, faculty and staff.
  • Install Duo two-factor authentication for another layer of online security to protect your personal information.
• This must be completed before going to STEP 2
  • Please be patient. Our IT department must create your credentials before you can sign in to start the process.

After your SDM email credentials have been set up, you will receive notification to start the I-20 process and pay your processing deposit.  This email will arrive about five business days after admission.

Continue to STEP 2

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You will receive an email about 1-2 business days after you set up your email account. Please do NOT phone or email the university requesting the next step. Read the information below carefully and start gathering your documents.

DEADLINE: The deadline to submit documents is as follows. Students must submit the bank statement or request to defer enrollment by this date or your application will no longer be active. 

• Fall Admission: June 15
• Spring Admission: November 1

#1: Required Documentation and Deposit

Federal regulations require all new F1 students to show that they have the financial ability to pay for at least one full academic year of tuition, fees, insurance, books and living expenses before SDM can issue a Form I-20.

Gather the following information to upload. Do NOT send these documents in an email.

• Pay the $100 admission deposit before an initial I-20 will be issued. Log into your Slate Portal and complete this. 
  • The deposit is an advance on part of your international student fees (part of your tuition and fees section on the I-20) and will be applied to your bill during your second semester at SDM.
  • If your visa is denied, this will only be refunded in the same manner as it was paid.
• Financial Support Certification for all students
• Official financial statement(s) - For what is acceptable, see the costs for International students
• Current passport (If you are in the process of renewing your passport, upload the current one)

#2: Submit I-20 Process form

• Once you receive the I-20 process email, follow the instruction and submit the form.
• It takes five business days to process a draft I-20 after your processing deposit is submitted. Please do NOT phone or email the university requesting the status of your I-20.

#3: Initial I-20

After you confirm all information is correct on the draft I-20, we will send the initial I-20 with more instructions.

Continue to STEP 3.

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Pay the I-901 SEVIS Fee after receipt of I-20

• Once you receive your form I-20, you are ready to pay the I-901 SEVIS Fee. Information on your I-20 is needed complete this process.
• The fee is mandatory and must be paid before you apply for your student visa. 
  • Learn more about the fee and access the SEVIS I-901 Fee Processing website.
• Important: You must bring a signed paper copy of your form I-20 to your visa interview.
• Visit Study in the States for more information.

Schedule Visa Appointment and Deadlines

• Visa applications and instructions, paying the fee and interviews are scheduled through your local US Embassy or Consulate.
  • Canadian citizens need to pay the SEVIS fee before entering the US, but Canadians are not required to obtain an entry visa to enter the US.
• Email with your interview date before the deadline below
  • Undergraduate students: Email us.
  • Graduate students: email us and the graduate office.

Visa Interview Deadline

The deadline to secure a visa interview date and to hold the interview is as follows. Students must confirm the appointment date or request to defer enrollment by this date or your application will no longer be active. 

• Fall Admission interview confirmation deadline: July 15
• Fall Admission interview deadline: August 1
  
  
• Spring Admission interview confirmation deadline: November 15
• Spring Admission interview deadline: December 1

Prepare and Practice for Visa Interview

• Review our Visa Interview Resources page for tips, resources, lists of documents to take with you.
• Do not skip this part. It is important to prepare for your interview.

Understand your Costs

• You receive a cost estimate with your I-20. Make sure to review this before you go for your interview.
• You will also need to make sure you have enough funding for arrival in Rapid City.

Completed your visa interview?

Email us within 3 days of your interview with the results.

• Undergraduate students: Email us.
• Graduate students: email us and the graduate office

Continue to STEP 4

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Ready to commit to SDM?

Make the international student enrollment deposit today! Log into your Slate Portal account and make your payment

• All F-1 international students must pay a $300 non refundable enrollment deposit to secure their admission. This deposit deadline is:
  • Fall Admission: August 1
  • Spring Admission: December 1 
• The deposit is an advance on your international student fees (part of your tuition and fees section on the I-20) and will be applied to your bill during your second semester at SDM.
  • If you transfer out before your second semester, this will not be refunded.
• This is not an additional fee but rather a pre-payment as part of your total costs.

Please note: this is non-refundable if you chose not to enroll, so please only pay the fee once you are ready to confirm your attendance to SDM and have your visa.

If we do not receive confirmation of your Enrollment Deposit payment by the deadline, your I-20 will be cancelled.

If your visa interview is after the Visa Interview Deadline (see STEP 3), you must inform us before the deadline and send confirmation of your interview date. You will be required to pay the fee within two (2) business days of your visa approval.

If you have questions, please email us.

Deferments

If you cannot secure a visa interview for the intended semester, you may defer your enrollment to the next semester. This must be done before the Enrollment Deposit Deadline or after an unsuccessful visa interview. Please see above for how this must be done.

To defer, All Students must:

• Show proof of the I-901 payment;
• Send NEW, updated bank statements along with an updated Financial Support Certification.
• Log in with your SDM credentials and upload documents here.
  • Do NOT send by email.

Undergraduate students: only one (1) deferment is allowed.

• Deadline for deferral and to update the I-20:
  • Fall Admission: August 1
  • Spring Admission: December 1

Graduate students: Contact the Graduate Office

• Deadline for deferral and to update the I-20:
  • Fall Admission: August 1
  • Spring Admission: December 1

Continue to STEP 5

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Some offers of admission are contingent upon SDM receiving official documents. Check your admission offer letter to see if you need to submit contingency documents (for example: official final transcripts or international transcript evaluation).

If the required documents have not been received by the deadlines below, the I-20 will be canceled.

• Fall Admission: August 15
• Spring Admission: December 15

Undergraduate students: There are two ways to satisfy this requirement.

• #1: Your high school/university’s registrar or other appropriate entity may send your final transcript to international@sdsmt.edu.
  • This must come from an official email address (name@nameofschool). We must be able to verify this information.
  • If we cannot verify the school address, you must send your documents as described in #2.
• #2: You may mail/courier your final official transcript to: Ivanhoe International Center, 501 East St. Joseph Street, Rapid City, SD 57701.
  • To be certified as official transcripts:
    • The documents must either be directly mailed to SDM by the issuing institution or forwarded to SDM by the student in a sealed, unopened envelope (do not open the envelope) from the issuing institution. There must also be a stamp or seal across the back of the envelope.
    • Attested copies of transcripts will be accepted as long as they are sent in the official manner described here.
  • Please note: If documents are not sent as described above, we do NOT accept those.
  • If there are any issues having these sent, please contact us with the explanation why.

Graduate students: If you previously provided official documentation (sent directly from the issuing institution or evaluating agency) that includes confirmation of the bachelor’s degree awarded, no further action is required. Review your acceptance letter for further details.

• MS Thesis and PhD students: Official transcripts (including evidence of the bachelor’s degree) must be sent directly from the issuing institution via email or postal mail. Documents may also be sent by the student in an envelope stamped and sealed by the institution. A third-party transcript evaluation from WES, ECE, or Spantran is also acceptable.
• Non-Thesis students: A third-party transcript evaluation (listing all course marks and the degree awarded) is required for all international transcripts. Please visit wes.org, ece.org, or SpanTran. Documents must be sent to us by the evaluating institution.

Documents should be sent to:
South Dakota Mines Graduate Education
501 E. St. Joseph St.
Rapid City SD 57701
graduate.admissions@sdsmt.edu

Continue to STEP 6

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Orientation

You must complete two orientations:

• Undergraduate Students (first time freshmen and transfer)
  • SDM International Online Orientation (you will receive an email)
  • Rocker Ready Orientation
• Graduate Students
  • SDM International Online Orientation (you will receive an email)
  • Graduate Student Orientation (you will receive an email)

You must use your SDM credentials to log in. on your account to prevent you from registering until you complete the orientation videos and quizzes. Contact the IIC to let us know when you have completed orientation.

Arrival in Rapid City

You may enter the U.S. a maximum of 30 days before the start date listed on your I-20 or DS-2019. We recommend that you arrive at least 1-2 days before the beginning of orientation so that you have time to get settled and rested.

We have specific days for free airport pick up to your place of residence. If you are unable to arrive during these dates, you must secure independent transportation. Here are some options we are aware of, please note, you should organize/reserve transportation prior to arrival:

• Rapid Shuttle
• City Cab
• Uber(May or may not be available at arrival time)
• Lyft(May or may not be available at arrival time)

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Federal regulations require all initial status students to report to the institution listed on the Form I-20 they used to enter the United States.

The last date to arrive on campus is 1 week before the start date of the term. Students with extenuating circumstances must complete the enrollment exception form for approval to arrive after this date. Contact us for the form.

SEVIS Check-in

Students who arrive before International Orientation should report to the International Office within the first week of arrival in Rapid City. You will find the dates, times and what to bring on the main page of the D2L SDM International Online Orientation module under SEVIS Check-In.

Those who arrive the day before orientation will provide their documentation during orientation check in.

Please note that SDM will not take any action in the SEVIS system until a student reports to SDM in person. This includes moving students from initial to active status as well as immediate SEVIS record transfers. If you are not moved to active status, it will have consequences on your F-1 record.

In Person Orientation

Ivanhoe International Center (IIC) coordinates a compulsory orientation for all new and transfer undergraduate and graduate international students. Orientation allows international students to become better acquainted with SDM, the IIC, as well as other international students.

Topics covered at Orientation (not in any particular order):

• Visa/immigration regulations
• Academic resources
• Health Insurance
• Employment
• Adjusting to new educational system and culture

Orientation is mandatory. Students are advised to carefully plan their travel so that they arrive in Rapid City before the initial start date on their I-20

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