Preparing for arrival

I-20 and visa

With your enrollment deposit paid and your housing application in, your place at Drury is secured and the visa process begins. Drury issues your Form I-20 for F-1 status, or Form DS-2019 for J-1 status; pay the I-901 SEVIS fee as soon as it arrives, then apply for your visa at a U.S. embassy or consulate. Start early. The process is time sensitive, takes longer than most students expect, and now includes a social media vetting step conducted by the consulate.

Receiving your I-20

Once your admission deposit and housing application are complete, Drury issues your Form I-20 and emails it to you as a PDF.

Transferring from another U.S. school

If you are already studying in the United States, Drury does not issue you a new SEVIS record. Your existing record transfers, so you do not pay the I-901 SEVIS fee again. The process begins once your enrollment deposit and housing application are complete.

1. 1

   Step 1: Tell your current school's international office that you intend to transfer and agree a SEVIS release date with them.
2. 2

   Step 2: Your current school releases your SEVIS record to Drury on that date.
3. 3

   Step 3: Drury issues a transfer-pending Form I-20 once the record arrives.
4. 4

   Step 4: Complete immigration check-in at Drury during International Student Orientation.

   Your transfer is not finished until you do.

SEVIS I-901 fee

Pay the SEVIS I-901 fee online before scheduling your visa interview. It is required of every F-1 and J-1 student receiving a new SEVIS record. If you are transferring an existing record from another U.S. school, you do not pay it again.

1. 1

   Step 1: Go to fmjfee.com (opens in a new tab), the official SEVIS fee payment site.
2. 2

   Step 2: Select "PAY I-901 Fee" to start.
3. 3

   Step 3: Enter your SEVIS ID, in the top left corner of your I-20.
4. 4

   Step 4: Complete the payment form with your personal information.
5. 5

   Step 5: Pay the fee: $350 for F-1 students, $220 for J-1 students.
6. 6

   Step 6: Print and save your payment confirmation receipt.

Visa interview

Schedule your interview at the U.S. embassy or consulate in your country of residence. The order of steps and the requirements vary by location, so check that post's website. Apply early: interview wait times (opens in a new tab) vary by location and season.

How to apply

1. 1

   Step 1: Complete the Form DS-160 (opens in a new tab) online nonimmigrant visa application and print the confirmation page.
2. 2

   Step 2: Upload your photo during the DS-160.

   It must meet the State Department photograph requirements.

3. 3

   Step 3: Pay the non-refundable visa application fee of $185 before your interview, if your post requires it, plus the $250 visa integrity fee.

   With the SEVIS fee, an F-1 visa costs $785 in total and a J-1 visa $655. Current amounts are on the State Department fee page (opens in a new tab).

4. 4

   Step 4: Schedule your interview at the embassy or consulate.
5. 5

   Step 5: Gather the documents listed below.

What to bring

• Valid passport, good for at least six months beyond your period of stay.
• Form I-20, or DS-2019 for J-1, signed by you and by Drury.
• DS-160 confirmation page.
• SEVIS I-901 fee payment receipt.
• Visa application fee receipt, if you paid before the interview.
• Photo, if the DS-160 upload failed.
• Admission letter from Drury.
• Financial documentation: bank statements and scholarship letters.
• Academic transcripts, diplomas, and standardized test scores.
• English proficiency test scores, if applicable.

The consular officer may also ask for evidence of your academic preparation, your intent to depart the United States when you finish, and how you will pay your educational, living, and travel costs.

Common questions

Be ready to talk about your academic plans, your finances, and your ties to home.

• Why did you choose Drury University?
• What will you study?
• How will you pay for your education?
• What are your plans after graduation?
• Do you have family or property in your home country?

Set up your Drury account

OneLogin is your single sign-on for Drury applications, and it requires multi-factor authentication. Set it up before you leave home: changing phone numbers or SIM cards after arrival makes it harder.

Paying for Drury

Accept your awards in MyDrury once they appear, and decide how you will pay the balance. Tuition must be paid in full, or covered by a payment plan, by August 1.

Your class schedule

Tell Drury as soon as your visa is approved. We then email you a Pre-Scheduling Questionnaire (PSQ), which asks about your academic background and interests and is what we use to build your first class schedule.

Registration order is prioritized by the date your questionnaire is received, so submit it as soon as it arrives. Your admission counselor will make sure you do not miss it.

Required forms

All required forms are completed through MyDrury: sign in with your Drury username and password, click the Student tab, then Student Forms in the left sidebar. If you start a form and run out of time, you can save it and return later.

• Information release (FERPA)
  If you are 18 or older, this form authorises Drury to release your personal, academic and financial information to people you name. Without it, federal law prevents faculty and staff from releasing any information about you to anyone, including parents.
• Health and emergency information form
  If you are involved in a campus-related emergency, this information is passed to the health professionals caring for you. It stays private and on file otherwise.
• New student housing contract, or housing exemption request
  All full-time day school students live on campus unless they meet an exemption criterion: age 21 or older at the start of the academic year, married, have a child, a medical condition that cannot reasonably be accommodated in student housing, extenuating circumstances, or veteran or current U.S. military service. Students 21 and over receive priority for off-campus housing but are not guaranteed approval.
• Vaccination records
  Submit a copy of your complete records to the Executive Assistant to the Vice President of Student Affairs / Dean of Students. Required: MMR (measles, mumps, rubella), polio, and DPT (diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus). Recommended: hepatitis B, varicella (chicken pox), and meningococcal (meningitis). Bring your original records with you when you travel.

  EMAILdos@drury.edu

  FAX+1 417-873-7215

  MAILDrury University,
  Attn: Student Affairs, FSC 201
  900 N. Benton Avenue
  Springfield, MO 65802
  United States
• Sexual Assault Prevention and Alcohol Edu training
  Both online modules are mandatory and must be completed before you arrive. Details on how to access them arrive at your Drury email address over the summer.

Questions about the forms or vaccination records go to the Executive Assistant to the Vice President of Student Affairs and Dean of Students at dos@drury.edu or +1 417-873-7215.

Required forms for new students → (opens in a new tab)

Travel planning

Once your visa is approved you can book travel. Your F-1 status lets you enter the United States up to 30 days before the program start date on your I-20, and some students use that window to travel in the U.S. first. Arriving in Springfield that early is another matter: residence halls open two days before International Student Orientation, and moving in before then means paying for housing.

Aim to land in the two days before International Student Orientation. That is the window the Student Orientation Team runs complimentary airport pickup at Springfield-Branson National Airport (SGF), and it matches the day residence halls open, so you are met at the airport and can move straight in. Landing earlier means arranging your own transport and paying for hotel.

Check the academic calendar for orientation and semester dates before you book, and book your return flight for after the semester ends.

Once your flights are booked, submit the arrival information form. The Student Orientation Team receives it and arranges your pickup, so this is the only place you need to send your flight details. Copying iadmissions@drury.edu is welcome but not required.

At the port of entry

A visa does not guarantee entry to the United States. It allows you to travel to a U.S. port of entry and request admission. A U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer decides whether to admit you, in what immigration status, and for how long.

1. 1

   Step 1: Present your passport, valid visa, and Form I-20 to the CBP officer.
2. 2

   Step 2: Answer questions about your studies, your school, and your plans in the United States.
3. 3

   Step 3: Provide fingerprints and a photograph, if requested.
4. 4

   Step 4: Receive your Form I-94 arrival record after admission, issued electronically for air and sea travel.
5. 5

   Step 5: After arrival, retrieve and review your I-94 at i94.cbp.dhs.gov (opens in a new tab).

   Confirm that CBP recorded your class of admission as F-1 and your Admit Until Date as D/S (duration of status). Contact International Support Services (ISS) promptly if any information is incorrect.

   EXPECT D/S, NOT A DATE

   F-1 students are admitted for duration of status, so your I-94 should show D/S rather than an end date. The Department of Homeland Security rule that would have replaced D/S with a fixed period was blocked in court on September 14, 2026 and is not in effect. If your I-94 shows a specific date, tell ISS before you do anything else. What the blocked rule would have changed →

Residence hall move-in checklist

A micro fridge is provided in your room, and an ironing board in the laundry room; bring the rest.

Orientation and check-in

Your last pre-arrival task happens after you land: immigration check-in with International Support Services, during International Student Orientation.