All new incoming international students will need to arrive on the designated Check-In Day listed above for their first semester with UCA. Specific information and event details will be emailed directly to all new incoming international students for the semester from the Center for Global Learning & Engagement’s Global Welcome team. Below are a few reminders as you secure your arrival details:

• When buying a plane ticket, you should book your flight ticket to arrive at the Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport (LIT).
• The earliest you may move into your on-campus housing will be on the designated Check-In Day for your first semester with UCA.
• We will offer a free shuttle service from Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport (LIT) on Check-In Day. You will be able to request this service by submitting your Global Welcome Registration Form by the priority deadline. Students not arriving on Check-In Day are responsible for securing arrangements for both lodging and transportation to campus.

Early Arrival Options… 

• Option 1 – You may request to be connected with a “Host Family” that may provide airport pick-up and temporary housing until Check-In Day. This option is only available to students arriving to Arkansas at maximum 3 days before their designated Check-In Day. You will be able to request this service by submitting your Global Welcome Registration Form by the priority deadline.
• Option 2 – If your planning to arrive to Arkansas more than 3 days before Check-In Day or do not want to request a host family, you will be responsible for securing arrangements for both lodging and transportation to campus.

Questions? Visit our Arrival Details webpage to learn more!

FREE shuttle service is provided to new incoming international students from Bill & Hillary Clinton National Airport to the UCA campus. Students will select one of the shuttle run time-frames listed on their Global Welcome Registration Form to secure their reservation. A follow-up email will be sent confirming the departure time for their selected shuttle run and other important details.

The availability of our shuttle service is subject to change. Please keep in mind that depending on the number of students arriving at a given time, we may not make any trips back to the airport. The shuttle will be canceled if we DO NOT have any flight information for students at a given time frame.

Once your visa is approved and your flight is booked, apply for campus housing. UCA offers in-state tuition for international students who live on campus. Students can choose from several campus halls and apartments, which you can take virtual tours of. Virtual Tour →

New students will be able to move into their housing assignments after they check in on Check-In Day. Housing applications are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. While there will be housing options available for all students who arrive, we encourage students to apply for housing now. Questions? Learn more →

Please note: Global Welcome requires that new students be here before the semester’s housing contract starts. Because of this, students are charged  per night until the housing contract officially begins. These fees will be assessed to the students’ accounts and will be paid alongside the other tuition charges for the semester. 

New students will check in with the Center for Global Learning and Engagement located at 201 Donaghey Avenue in Schichtl Hall on the listed Check-In Day for their first semester with UCA.  During the check-in process, you will:

• Meet Center for Global Learning and Engagement staff and Team Global volunteers
• Receive your orientation name tag and folder with important information and paperwork. You will need to bring these items to each day of Global Welcome
• Have copies made of your passport, visa, I-20/DS-2019, and I-94

During orientation, new students will be divided into teams of 12-15 students based on their student classification. These teams will be led by Team Global leaders. Each team will complete their orientation activities together according to their schedule. We recommend all students complete all activities to have a richer and fuller experience at UCA. Certain activities must be completed before a student can register for classes for the semester. The activities are listed below:

• Receive MMR immunizations and the T-Spot test. (Required for all students. View more information here.)
• Take the Accuplacer test (required for first-time freshmen without sufficient ACT or SAT scores)
• Take the Intensive English Placement test (required for all IEP students)
• Receive student IDs (required for all new students)
• Receive an on-campus Post Office Box
• Learn how to use myUCA and Blackboard
• Take a campus tour
• Attend a bank & cell Phone Fair
• Get to know the services provided by UCA’s Torreyson Library, Center for Writing and Communications, Tutoring Center, and the TREC (the campus gym).

The orientation sessions will feature guest speakers from UCA and the community speaking to new student on the most important aspects of adjustment to life at UCA. Sessions will include:

• How to stay in active F-1 or J-1 immigration status
• How to use your student insurance
• How to succeed academically at UCA
• What services are offered to UCA students
• How to get involved at UCA
• How to adjust to a new culture

Students will receive academic advising based on their student classification.

• First-Time Undergraduate Freshmen and Transfer Students With 30 Credit Hours Or Less: will be advised by the UCA advising office in Harrin Hall. They will be given their advising appointment times when they check-in. Their team leaders will help them get to their appointments. These students should make sure to read more about the ACT, SAT, and Accuplacer tests here.
• Intensive English Program Students will be advised by an IEP staff member after they have taken their placement test. Their team leaders will help them get to their appointments.
• Transfer Students With More Than 30 Credit Hours and Post-Baccalaureate Students will be advised by faculty in their degree program. They will be given their advising times and locations when they check-in. Their team leaders will help them get to their appointments.
• Graduate Students should be in contact with their departments to schedule an advising time before they arrive. Their team leaders will help them get to their appointments. 

We want international students to begin their UCA career understanding the expectations of academics at UCA and prepared to succeed in the new cultural environment. Students who complete all of Global Welcome will:

• Connect with fellow new as well returning UCA students
• Understand their immigration responsibilities
• Begin immunizations and understand health care options available to them
• Learn how to academically succeed at a US university
• Meet with an advisor and register for classes
• Learn how to respond to cultural differences