Dear New International CalArtian,
Earlier today, you should have received a message from President Ravi announcing that CalArts has made the very difficult decision to offer all courses online for the fall semester. While this is surely a disappointment to all students, we understand that this will unfortunately impact new F-1 students in a unique way.
Based on current SEVP guidance, our decision to move to fully online coursework this fall means that no new international students can enter the US on an F-1 visa to start the fall semester.
If you are a SEVIS transfer student outside of the US please email the International Students and Programs Office at intlstudents@calarts.edu, as this rule may apply differently to you.
We are extremely disappointed that we will not be able to meet you in person this fall, and remain hopeful that COVID-19 conditions here in California will improve over the coming weeks and months so that we can welcome you to campus for our spring semester beginning in January 2021.
In the meantime, your options are:
- Enroll online in a full-time or part-time capacity, depending on what your program offers and recommends. If you would like to discuss available courses, please reach out to your program director or to Academic Advising (academicadvising@calarts.edu). If you decide that you would like to enroll part-time, please complete this Part-Time Registration Request Form. The deadline to submit this form is Aug. 17. All requests to enroll part-time must be approved by your school.
- Request to defer your admission to a future semester. Due to the highly competitive nature of some programs and availability of resources, not all programs allow this. Deferral request forms are due by Aug. 10. Please contact your admissions counselor to request a form if you are interested in pursuing this option.
If you plan to enroll this fall, either full-time or part-time, please complete the SHIP Waiver Form by Aug. 13 so the health insurance fee can be removed from your tuition account. Please contact healthinsurance@calarts.edu for student health insurance related questions and accounting@calarts.edu for fee waiver questions.
The Office of International Students and Programs will prepare new I-20s with adjusted program start dates now through September to join us on campus in spring 2021. You can use the new I-20 to apply for a visa (if you have not yet had your interview), or to enter the US on a valid F-1 visa in December 2020. If you plan to be on-campus in fall 2021 we will issue your adjusted I-20 in April 2021 after reviewing a new declaration of finances and other required documents. We will contact you about the review process in March 2021.
If you have any questions about your I-20, or how CalArts’ shift to online coursework this fall will impact you, please plan to join one of our Zoom meetings at the times listed below, or our daily walk-in hour.
International Office Q&A Zoom Room
- Monday, Aug. 3 ⋅ 10-11 am Pacific Time
- Wednesday, Aug. 5 ⋅ 10-11 am Pacific Time
Daily International Office Zoom Walk-In Hour
- Monday through Friday, 2-3pm Pacific Time
I am very sorry to be writing to you with this disappointing news today. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me or to any of the Student Success Offices below if you have questions or concerns regarding this decision.
Anna Jablonski
Assistant Vice President of Enrollment
and Associate Provost for Student Success
Contact Us!
academicadvising@calarts.edu
for questions about degree progress and course requirements
finaid@calarts.edu
for questions about financial aid and scholarships
intlstudents@calarts.edu
for questions about international student resources
registrar@calarts.edu
for questions about student records and class signup