International Student Services: Prepare for Your Arrival

The steps below will help you prepare for the process of obtaining an F1 student visa. If you are planning to attend McNeese on a visa other than the F1, please contact intinfo@mcneese.edu for further assistance.  

• Obtain your I-20. Submit the necessary documents to intinfo@mcneese.edu. Once you receive your I-20, review it carefully, and if no corrections are needed, print and sign the form on the bottom of the page.  

• Schedule your visa interview. Contact a US embassy or consulate near you to schedule a visa interview.  

• Complete the visa application.  

• Pay the I-901 fee online.  

• Review the US Department of State website for helpful tips. 

• Complete the DS-160 application and pay any associated fees. 

• Gather the documents you’ll need for your interview

  • Signed I-20, acceptance letter from McNeese

  • Financial documents

  • Valid passport and recent passport-style photos of yourself

  • I-901 payment receipt, DS-160 payment receipt

  • Any other documents required by the embassy.  

• Complete the visa interview. Below are some tips and resources to help you prepare for your visa interview.  

• Be honest and fully answer all questions asked.  

• Be confident about your upcoming educational journey at McNeese – know your program and how you plan to use your degree when you return home. 

• Be prepared to answer questions about how you’ll finance your education.  

• Establish strong ties to your home country.  

• Don’t rehearse responses you think the officer wants to hear.  

• Don’t memorize information about McNeese that has nothing to do with your degree program or academic goals.  

• Don’t forget to emphasize how you will use your degree once you return home. 

• Don’t misrepresent any facts or information.  

• If you would like to review further resources about preparing for a visa interview, check out this visa interview presentation.  

Once your student visa is approved, you’re ready to plan your travel to the US! 

• Timing:  

• Plan to arrive sometime after the earliest admission date on your I-20.  

• If you are living on campus, you may want to arrive after move-in day, the day when most new students move into the dorms.  

• Be sure to check your email for the dates of any orientations that you need to attend and plan enough time to get to campus before orientation day.  

• Location:  

• If possible, plan to arrive at the Lake Charles regional airport (LCH).  

• If you need ground transportation from the airport to campus, you can use the mobile app Lyft or call one of these services: Yellow Cab Co. (337-433-8282) or Fast Taxi (337-853-2534).

• Alert McNeese: As soon as you finalize your travel plans, let us know through the McNeese arrival form. Fill out this form so that we can check on you during your travel process and confirm that you have arrived in Lake Charles safely.  

• What to Bring:  

• When you travel, keep your I-20, passport, visa, financial documents, and McNeese acceptance letter on you, not in your checked luggage.  

• Bring some US currency to help cover your basic needs for at least the first week you are here, but do not bring large amounts of cash.  

• Do not bring any items that are prohibited when entering the US.  

• Arriving in the US: When you arrive at your first US port of entry, a Customs and Border Patrol agent will ask you a few questions to confirm your identity. The agent will also create an I-94 document for you to confirm your arrival.  

McNeese State University will enroll you in health insurance through the organization ISO. The cost of the health insurance will be included in your fee bill; the charge varies slightly each semester but usually amounts to $200 to $300. Because this insurance is very basic, many students purchase supplemental health insurance independently.  

If you need to access medical or mental healthcare while on campus, please use the following resources. 

• For non-emergency care, enrolled McNeese students can use medical services at the Student Health Center on the corner of Ryan and W. Sale Street and can use mental health services at the McNeese Counseling Center. 

• If you need care outside of these centers’ hours, care can be obtained at local hospitals or urgent care centers. Please be sure to familiarize yourself with the closest urgent care center or hospital. 

• In case of a medical or mental health emergency, go to the nearest hospital emergency room, or dial 9-1-1 on a phone. When you dial 9-1-1, a team will be dispatched to come and assist you.  

Before you arrive in the US, it's important to arrange your accommodations. McNeese students may live in our on-campus accommodations or in their own off-campus housing.  

On-campus Accommodations 

Some of the benefits of living on campus include proximity, safety, all-inclusive utilities, internet, on-site computer labs, and dormitories that are open year-round.  

• If you live on campus, a meal plan will be required  

• Must sign a ten-month (August-May) lease agreement  

• $350 reservation fee due at signing (non-refundable)  

• Priority placement deadlines are March 1st for the Fall semester and October 1st for the Spring semester  

• International students should confirm move-in dates with the Housing Office and schedule a move-in appointment prior to booking flights 

Contact information for on-campus accommodations:  

• Website: McNeese Res Life – McNeese Res Life 

• General inquiries: drew@mcneesereslife.com  

• Office phone number: 337-475-5606 

• After-hours phone number: 337-513-7807 

Off-campus Housing 

Students are not required to live on campus, although we do recommend it. If you prefer to live off-campus, you can find available rentals by searching “apartments in Lake Charles, LA.” Some complexes popular among our international students are Flats on Walters, The Commons at McNeese, and University Villas. 

Advising

Before you arrive, you’ll discuss your class schedule with an advisor so that you can be sure that your selected courses meet your degree requirements.  

• If you are an undergraduate freshman, contact freshmanadvising@mcneese.edu to start your advising and registration process. 

  • To learn more about undergraduate English placement procedures, click here. 

  • To learn more about undergraduate math placement procedures, click here.

• If you are a transfer student or a graduate student, reach out to your department head to start your advising and registration process.  

F1 Visa Enrollment Requirements

When you are selecting classes, it’s important to remember the enrollment requirements of your visa. If you have an F1 visa, you will need to meet the requirements below. If you are on any other visa, please contact internationaloffice@mcneese.edu for further assistance. 

• Enroll in a full course of study each semester (at least 12 hours for undergraduates, and at least 9 hours for graduate students).  

• Only one three-credit online course per semester can count toward the full course of study requirement; all other courses must be in-person or hybrid.  

• We suggest choosing less-intensive courses for your first semester as you get acclimated to the US educational system.  

To pay your tuition and fees online or by mail, follow the instructions on this site.  

To pay your tuition and fees by Flywire or wire transfer, contact msucashiers@mcneese.edu.  

Notes:  

• If you’d like your on-campus housing and meal plan to show on your bill, please contact Housing to complete the EM-1 Form. 

• Exact estimates of the cost for your tuition and fees cannot be calculated until you register for classes. 

All new international students are required to check in with International Student Services to register their accounts in SEVIS, the USCIS system for international student information. Check your McNeese student email regularly for information about your check-in date.  

When you attend your check-in date, please bring the following items with you:  

• Signed I-20  

• Passport and visa  

• Completed new student forms (If you are living on campus, you must include the name of your dorm as well as the room number; we cannot register your SEVIS record without this information.)  

• Immunization documents (if you’ve brought copies with you)  

• A copy of your I-94