Exchange Student Newsletter: Welcome to WashU!

Welcome!

Welcome to WashU!

Congratulations on your acceptance to Washington University in St. Louis as an exchange student! We are confident you will have a productive and enjoyable semester or year in St. Louis. Adjusting to a new culture while beginning a demanding academic program of study can be very challenging. Your peer mentors, academic advisers, faculty, and staff will be here to support you every step of the way.

We will be sending out email newsletters twice a month until your arrival on campus. Each newsletter will contain information related to different important topics.

We are excited to welcome you to the WashU community!

-Student Transitions & Family Programs

Campus Contacts

Here are the main offices and contacts available to support you:

1. Academic Divisions: Each academic division has an exchange adviser to support you during your time at WashU.

College of Arts & Sciences: Dr. Amy Suelzer
McKelvey School of Engineering: Melanie Osborn
Olin Business School: Ryan Kearney

2. Office for International Students and Scholars: OISS is available to support you with immigration advising, academics, and support as you get to know Washington University, St. Louis, and the United States.

Email: oiss@wustl.edu

3. Student Transitions & Family Programs: Student Transitions & Family Programs hosts Bear Beginnings: Fall Welcome, an orientation program when you arrive on campus, and is available for support related to your transition.

Email: transitions@wustl.edu

Important Dates

Fall 2023 Dates

Fall 2023 Exchange Student Arrival: August 23

Bear Beginnings: Transfer & Exchange Fall Welcome: August 23-26

First Day of Class: August 28

Labor Day (no classes): September 4

Fall Break (no classes): October 7-10

Thanksgiving Break (no classes): November 22-26

Last Day of Classes: December 8

Reading Week and Exams: December 11-20

Move-In Day and Bear Beginnings: Transfer & Exchange Fall Welcome

Exchange students will move-in on Wednesday, August 23. Those students living in Residential Life-managed housing will be assigned a move-in time between 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM when your housing assignment is released in July. For more information about move-in, please reference the Residential Life website.

Bear Beginnings: Transfer & Exchange Fall Welcome, an orientation program to welcome students to campus, will take place from August 23-26.

Establishing Access

You should have received the “Getting Started at Washington University” email from the University Registrar with instructions on activating your WUSTL Key. Your WUSTL Key will be your login and password to most university systems. This email will also give you information about setting up your WashU email account, and logging in to WebSTAC, the university portal to billing, course registration, and more.

This is the last email we will send to your personal email account. It is very important that you set up your WashU email account as soon as possible to receive the information you need to prepare for arrival.

Housing Application

Exchange students are able to access their 2023-2024 Housing Application by logging into your WebSTAC account. Once in your account, locate the Housing tab, select Applications, and click the drop-down menu to select the Fall and Spring Application. It will be necessary to complete all sections of the application. The final step is to Submit the Application. This will result in changing your application status to complete.

Applications are for the full academic year. If your program only lasts the fall semester you will be released from the spring portion of the contract and the cancellation fee will be waived.

Enrollment Deposit

All undergraduate students are required to pay a non-refundable enrollment deposit upon admission to Washington University. The enrollment deposit for exchange students is $500. This enrollment deposit covers costs for Fall/Winter Welcome, the new student orientation program, additional orientation experiences for international students, and programming offered for exchange students throughout the semester such as local excursions and holiday celebrations.

Quick Links

Student Transitions & Family Programs

McKelvey School of Engineering