Student Services
Contact Us
Email: iso@rochester.edu
Phone: + 1 (585) 275-2866
Fax: + 1 (585) 276-2943
Address: 40 Celebration Drive, Suite #100, Rochester, NY 14620
Student Services
Our Student Services Team provides support for newly admitted and currently enrolled F-1 amd J-1 students, in addition to UR alumni (e.g., recent alumni on OPT/STEM OPT/AT). Our team is available to meet through virtual advising hours or with a scheduled appointment.
Virtual drop-ins
A Student Advisor is available during dedicated hours to answer quick questions about travel, immigration benefits, and more. An average drop-in lasts about 5–10 minutes. For more complicated questions we may advise that you schedule a follow-up appointment with your assigned advisor.
Hours available
- Monday/Tuesday/Thursday: 1pm to 3pm
- Friday: 10am to 12pm
Topics not covered
The following topics cannot be addressed during drop-ins: Immigration status problems, Change of status, Reinstatement of status, Leave of absence, Medical or academic reduced course loads and Economic Hardship employment application. These topics (and more) would require a scheduled appointment.
Appointments
Scheduling a 30-minute appointment (in-person or virtual) with your assigned advisor allows you time to speak in detail with an ISO Advisor about questions or concerns on a host of immigration and other topics.
selecting your advisor
Please make sure to schedule an appointment with your assigned ISO advisor based on the first letter of your Family Name/Surname as listed on your passport. Your appointment may be cancelled if it is not scheduled with your assigned advisor.
- Surnames beginning with L, N, P, Q: Rani Bhagwat
- Surnames beginning with A, B, R, Z: Sandra Pittenger
- Surnames beginning with E, F, G, S, T: Nora Henry
- Surnames beginning with D, O, W, X, Y: Grant Li
- Surnames beginning with H, J, K, M, V: Alexander Falter
- Surnames beginning with C, I, U: Elena Gruzdeva
Topics not covered
We do not take appointments for the following topics, and any appointments scheduled to discuss these will be cancelled:
- Status of your I-20 or DS-2019 issuance: For timeline queries, students should refer to the ISO correspondence sent after their request was received by our office
- Application reviews: Reviewing OPT, STEM OPT, CPT or other applications will not be allowed in appointments
- SSN, ITIN, and Tax: Questions about SSNs, ITINs, and tax filing resources should be directed to questions@iso.rochester.edu.
appointment tips and preparation
- Pay attention to the time zone when you schedule your appointment.
- Make sure to choose the right type of appointment (in person or via Zoom).
- Appointments can be scheduled up to two weeks in advance. No same day appointments are available.
- Appointments are available based on the advisor availability. If there are no appointments available and this is an emergency, contact ISO front desk at 585-275-2866 or email iso@rochester.edu.
- Make only one appointment at a time. Any additional appointments will be removed from the calendar to allow for other students to take those appointment slots.
- If your plans change and you are no longer able to attend the appointment, or if you get an answer to your question prior to your appointment, please use the “reschedule” link in the confirmation email to cancel or reschedule your appointment as far in advance as possible. This allows other students to use this appointment slot.
- For a Zoom appointment, before the meeting, please review how to join a Zoom meeting if you haven’t used Zoom before.
- At your scheduled Zoom appointment time, be sure to have a good internet connection (WiFi is recommended) and a quiet place, if possible, to speak. Having a headset or earphones can help make your surroundings less distracting and minimize the noise level around you.
- For a Zoom appointment, go to the Zoom meeting room linked in your appointment confirmation email. Type your name to enter the room at your scheduled time. Please use the same name associated with your appointment. If the name is too different, it is difficult for an advisor to tell if the person waiting to enter the meeting room is the same person who made the appointment for that time.
- Please be prepared to give us your University ID number (if you have one) at the start of your appointment so that we can find your record in our system.
- Be on time! Our appointments are scheduled one right after the other, so if you show up late, we still need to end at the same time. If you will be more than 10 minutes late, it’s best for you to reschedule for another appointment.
Scholar and Employee Services
Our Scholar and Employee Services team helps temporary nonimmigrant workers, as well as departments and offices at the University.
Virtual drop-ins
During dedicated Drop-In Sessions, an ISO Scholar and Employee Advisor is available to answer your quick immigration-related questions.
An average drop-in should last 5–10 minutes. If your question is complicated and requires more time, please contact iso@rochester.edu to request an appointment with an advisor.
- Hours available: Tuesdays from 11 to 11:30 a.m.
- How to join: Simply visit the Scholar drop-in waiting room by clicking on the button below
Participants will be admitted individually, but may remain in the waiting room until the advisor is available. Every effort is made to take individuals in the order they arrive, subject to Zoom capabilities.
Join the Scholar drop-in waiting room
Schedule an appointment
To schedule a longer appointment with a member of the Scholar Services team, please reach out to your designated Immigration Advisor directly. Visit our Staff page for contact information for each of these advisors, along with their areas of expertise.
If you aren’t sure who to contact, you can also email the team at iso@rochester.edu.
Office hours, addresses, and directions
ISO Holiday Hours (Effective December 23, 2024 – January 1, 2025)
Service Desk and Virtual Drop-In Advising:
Monday 12/23: 10:00am – 12:00pm
Tuesday 12/24: 10:00am – 12:00pm
Wednesday 12/25: CLOSED
Thursday 12/26: 10:00am – 12:00pm
Friday 12/27: 10:00am – 12:00pm
Monday 12/30: 10:00am – 12:00pm
Tuesday 12/31: 10:00am – 12:00pm
Wednesday 1/1: CLOSED
We will resume our standard office hours beginning Thursday, January 2.
We wish you happy holidays, and a safe and healthy New Year!
Our standard office hours are:
- Monday: 9 a.m.–12 p.m., 1–4:30 p.m.
- Tuesday: 9 a.m.–12 p.m., 1–4:30 p.m.
- Wednesday: Closed
- Thursday: 9 a.m.–12 p.m., 1–4:30 p.m.
- Friday: 9 a.m.–12 p.m., 1–4:30 p.m.
During these hours, we’re available to assist with general inquiries, scheduling, document coordination, and other support via phone, email, or in-person visit to our offices in College Town. We operate year-round, other than weekends and University holidays.
The office closes from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. each day and on Wednesdays to focus on immigration casework, document issuance and related administrative activities.
If you have an immigration or personal emergency when the office is closed, please call University Public Safety at +1 (585) 275-3333. They will contact the on-call ISO staff member who can help you.
This does not include requests for updated immigration documents or travel signatures. We can only help with those during our regular office hours.
The International Services Office is in College Town at 40 Celebration Drive, Suite 100. Find us on the map!
Our first-floor suite is in the same building as UR Dermatology, diagonally across the parking lot behind the University of Rochester Bookstore. There is one entrance to the building from the parking lot, and one entrance along Celebration Drive. From either entrance, remain on the first floor and look for the suite door for Global Engagement & International Services Office.
College Town is a 15 to 20-minute walk from the River Campus. Additionally, the Blue Line University shuttles have stops located conveniently near our office. If you are driving for your visit, two-hour parking is available in the parking lot directly behind the University of Rochester bookstore.
For US Postal Service & intercampus mail deliveries:
International Services Office
PO Box 270446
University of Rochester
Rochester, NY 14627-0446
USA
For packages, courier services (FedEx, DHL, etc.) & physical office location:
International Services Office
40 Celebration Drive, Suite 1.100
University of Rochester
Rochester, NY 14620
USA