International Student Affairs Office (ISAO)

Not all international persons in the United States are eligible to study as an international student based on their current visa status.  There are many visa statuses, and each one dictates the rights and privileges associated with that particular visa status.  Before proceeding with the Cincinnati State admission process, check to see if your current visa allows you to pursue a full-time student status by contacting our office.

Transfer Students

Individuals who are current students at other U.S. colleges or universities are eligible to transfer to Cincinnati State if they meet our admission requirements and submit the International Student Enrollment Form (ISEF) and all the required paperwork to the ISAO by the semester posted deadline date.

Print and complete the forms listed below, as they will need to be uploaded to the ISEF for submission:

• Letter of Admission (Required)
• Affidavit of Sponsorship (Required)
• Affidavit for Free Room and Board: (Use only when residing within the Greater Cincinnati area in the United States)
• Assured Financial Resource Form: (Required when your financial documents do not reflect U.S. currency, or when additional information is required by the Designated School Official (DSO) or Primary Designated School Official (PDSO) to determine financial eligibility)
• Student Budget: (Required): Gather evidence of financial support of assured finances to cover your entire program and school expenses
• Dependents of F-1: (Complete only if you plan to bring your dependents with you)

The current school must release the student’s Student & Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) record in order to complete the transfer process. The Form I-20 will be issued only if the student meets all Department of Homeland Security (DHS) requirements.

Guest Students

Cincinnati State offers quality education at an affordable rate and welcomes students from other colleges and universities to take classes at one of our Cincinnati State Campuses!  Guest students should apply as Non-Degree Seeking when completing the Application for Admission and must obtain written permission from their current Designated School Official (DSO) or Principal School Official (PDSO) to take classes at Cincinnati State. A letter written on school letterhead or an email from the DSO/PDSO can be dropped off or emailed.  The letter must obtain the following information:

• Current date
• Student’s first and last name
• Student’s date of birth
• Indicate whether or not the student is in good academic standing with the school
• Contact information from the DSO/PDSO (name, email address, and phone number)

Once the letter is received and processed, an notification email will be sent and the international student hold will be released to allow registration.  Guest students would then work directly with the Office of the Registrar for any registration issues or concerns. A new letter is required each semester a guest student wishes to take classes.

Apply to the College and meet all admission requirements to be accepted into a program.  Once the Letter of Acceptance has been received, complete the International Student Enrollment Form (ISEF) and submit all necessary paperwork by the semester posted deadline date.

Print and complete the forms listed below:

• Letter of Admission (Required)
• Affidavit of Sponsorship (Required)
• Affidavit for Free Room and Board (Use only when residing within the Greater Cincinnati area in the United State. To be considered the lease or deed associated with the property must be included)
• Assured Financial Resource Form (Required when your financial documents do not reflect U.S. currency, or when additional information is required by the Designated School Official (DSO) or Primary Designated School Official (PDSO) to determine financial eligibility)
• Student Budget (Required): Gather evidence of financial support of assured finances to cover your entire program and school expenses.
• Dependents of F-1 (Complete only if you plan to bring your dependents with you)

Complete the ISEF and attach all required forms.  Students must log into the MyCstate 2.0 Cincinnati State portal before accessing the ISEF and cannot access the form otherwise.

Please note: The Form I-20 will be issued only if the student meets all Department of Homeland Security (DHS) requirements.

Please visit the Cincinnati State Admissions website for information on the Admissions process for international students.

2025 Spring Semester

New Students: ISEF and all documents are due by October 21, 2024.

Students transferring from another US institution: ISEF and all documents are due by December 16, 2024

2025 Fall Semester 

New Students: ISEF and all documents are due by May 4, 2025.

Students transferring from another US institution: ISEF and all documents are due by July 6, 2025.

Please note: Cincinnati State does not issue I-20s for summer semesters because the majority of summer classes are primarily offered online. Therefore, we cannot assure registration compliance in helping international students maintain their required full-time status of 12 credit hours.  9 of the 12 credit hours must be in person; 3 credit hours may have an online component.

The ISAO is available to help guide international students on how they can maintain their F1 and M1 status.  Office staff can assist during regular office hours and/or via email with any questions or concerns you may have about your status.

Study in the States is the official website of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and is a great resource to help international students maintain their status.  This aid covers a vast variety of topics including the importance of enrolling in a Full Course of Study.  Ultimately, the DHS clearly states that the maintenance and monitoring of one’s status are the sole responsibility of the F-1/M-1 student, so it is important to be familiar with all expectations and responsibilities through this site.

You will need to request an update for your Form I-20 for the following reasons:

• Shortening or extending your program*
• Change/Add a new major
• Request OPT

Complete the Multi-Purpose Request Form with your Academic Advisor to request an update to your I-20 document for any of the above reasons.

*Do not let the I-20 expire if you have yet to meet the requirement of your program for graduation, and your I-20 end date is less than 6 months away.

Unlawful employment in the United States is a reason for terminating your student status and deporting you from the united states.  Under certain conditions F-1 and M-1 student may work in the United States.  It is helpful to familiarize yourself with terms such as “Curricular Practical Training” (CPT) and “Optional Practical Training” (OPT) which both require permission via approval/ or a recommendation from a Designated School Official (DSO) or Primary School Official (PDSO) to work.

On Campus

On campus work does not require permission from a DSO or PDSO. F-1 Students may work up to 20 hours per week on campus while maintaining a full-time (12 credit hours) course load.  International students are eligible to apply for “Student Worker” positions that do not require them to be eligible to Federal Work Student (FWS). After receiving an offer letter from the Cincinnati State Human Resources Office, forward a signed copy to the IASO via email or drop it off in person to get permission to get a Social Security Number for work purposes.

Off Campus

All forms of off-campus work require written permission via the Form I-20.  If you have not received written permission, you must not begin working.  If you work without permission, the DSO/ PDSO is required by law to terminate your I-20 Form no matter the reason.

CPT is also known as co-op and must be required for program completion in order to be considered.  Complete the following steps to start the process:

• Meet with your Co-Op Coordinator and complete the Curricular Practical Training Eligibility Form, and return it to the ISAO either in-person or via email.
• Register for the co-op course as either full-time or part-time. The course must match the work hours.
• Submit an employment Offer letter from your employer as specified on the Curricular Practical Training Eligibility Form.

Post OPT occurs after program completion. International students have an opportunity to work for 1-year in their field of study if they have been approved to participate by USCIS. Interested students should:

• Complete the Multi-Purpose Request Form with the Academic Advisor no sooner than 90 days before the program ends and no later than 30 days after the program ends, and return it to the ISAO either in-person or via email to receive a OPT Recommendation.  This notification will come via email.
• Follow the instructions in the email, and file the Application for Employment Authorization (Form I-765) within 30 days after the recommendation has been granted by the DSO. Applications received by USCIS after days 30 will be denied.

Severe and Economic Hardship and Special Student Relief

 F-1 students who are experiencing economic hardship may be eligible to work off campus, but cannot exceed 1 year except for employment related to Student Special Relief (SSR).  Some examples of severe economic hardship such things as, medical bills, inordinate increases in tuition or living costs, loss of financial aid or on-campus employment through no fault of the student, substantial changes in the exchange rate or value of the currency upon which the students depend, etc.

SSR is designated for global situations which could affect students’ financial standing because of such things like famine, war, economy downturn, etc. The U.S. government allows students from impacted countries temporary relief through off-campus employment. Under these circumstances, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issues a notice in the Federal Register that gives detailed timelines and benefits for a particular country.

Employment with an International Organization

This employment opportunities may be available to F-1 students who are offered positions with a public international organization that fall within the International Organization Immunities Act, as defined in 22 U.S.C. § 288 59 Stat. 669.

 If you believe you are experiencing severe and economic hardship, qualify for SSR, or have been offered an internship or employment with an international organization do the following:

• Email the ISAO your request and submit proof of economic hardship. If your request is approved, your DSO/PDSO will recommend severe and economic hardship in SEVIS.
• Once recommended, you will receive a new Form I-20 with the recommendation and must file the Application for Employment Authorization (Form I-765) to request this benefit with the United States and Immigration Services (USCIS). You may not begin working until you have been approved.

 Visit Working in the USA to learn more about working in the United States.

Who Can Apply?

In general, to be eligible for reinstatement, the student must:

• Not be out of status for more than five months at the time of filing or show the exceptional circumstance that prevented filing in that time frame.
• Not have a record of repeated or willful violations of regulations.
• Not have worked without authorization.
• Be pursuing or intend to pursue a full course of study in the immediate future at your school.
• Not be deportable for any reason other than failing to maintain F-1 or M-1 status.
• Be able to show that:
  • Circumstances beyond the student’s control caused the status violation.
  • Student fell below a full course load for a reason the DSO could have used to authorize a reduced course load, and the student would experience extreme hardship, if the student fails to get reinstatement.

Whether a current student at Cincinnati State, or the termination occurred at another institution, the process for applying for Reinstatement with the College is the same.

Who is ineligible?

• The student is not eligible for reinstatement. For example, the student worked without permission.
• The student cannot wait for the time it takes the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to decide a reinstatement case.

Note: For this option, the student must both:

• Get a new SEVIS number and a new Form I-20.
• Pay the I-901 SEVIS Fee again.

Brought to you by Study in the States

Gather the following documents to submit the ISEF for reinstatement:

• Letter of Admission (Required)
• Letter of Explanation (Required): Write a statement about why the termination occurred, include details and information about how you plan to move forward as a student to prevent the offense from reoccurring
• Affidavit of Sponsorship (Required)
• Affidavit for Free Room and Board: Use only when residing within the Greater Cincinnati area in the United State. To be considered the lease or deed associated with the property must be included)
• Assured Financial Resource Form: (Required when your financial documents do not reflect U.S. currency, or when additional information is required by the Designated School Official (DSO) or Primary Designated School Official (PDSO) to determine financial eligibility)
• Student Budget (Required): Gather evidence of financial support of assured finances to cover your entire program and school expenses.

Complete the ISEF and attach all required forms.  Students must log into the MyCstate 2.0 Cincinnati State portal before accessing the ISEF and cannot access the form otherwise.

Please note: The Form I-20 for reinstatement will be issued only if the student meets all Department of Homeland Security (DHS) requirements.

Brought to you by Study in the States

1. DSO:

• Recommends reinstatement in SEVIS.
• Prints and signs the Form I-20, Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant Student Status, issued for reinstatement.

2. Student:

• Signs Form I-20 issued for reinstatement.
• Completes and mails Form I-539, Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status, USCIS with fee and supporting documents, or files online: https://www.uscis.gov/i539online with fee and supporting documents.

Note: The Form I-539, Instructions for Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status, lists the required documents to submit with the Form I-539.

Note: If the student has been out of status for more than five months, he or she must also:

• Pay the SEVIS I-901 fee again.
• Explain why the reinstatement application could not be filed sooner.

3. USCIS:

• Accepts/rejects the application.
• Makes a decision and mails it to the student.

Note: USCIS may request additional information. USCIS will send all correspondence related to the application to the mailing address on the Form I-539.

3a. SEVIS:

• SEVIS automatically emails the decision to the DSO who requested the reinstatement and to the PDSO.
• If approved for reinstatement to a continuing program, SEVIS changes the status of the record to Active.

4. Student:

• If approved for reinstatement to a new program, the student enrolls for the program, as indicated on the Form I-20.
• If approved for reinstatement to a continuing program, the student resumes a full course of study, if he or she has not already done so.
• If denied, the student follows the instructions in the denial notice.

4a. DSO:

• If approved for reinstatement to a new program, the DSO must follow the registration processes for the initial session at the school.
• If approved for reinstatement to a continuing program, the DSO must register the student within 30 days and make sure the session dates are correct.

Note: SEVIS will terminate the record for failure to enroll, if the Initial or Next Session Start Date is past the regulatory deadline.

4b. SEVIS:

• If denied, SEVIS closes the reinstatement request.