Hello international students,
Since receiving the new regulations from SEVP, WORLD has been working to develop options for our students who are abroad and cannot or are afraid to return to the US. We know this is a stressful time for our international students – you all are managing travel bans, quarantines, and restrictive visa rules, not to mention a global pandemic. We have so much admiration for how you are handling the difficult situation you have been handed. At Stetson, we are bound by U.S. laws, but we want to help you as much as we can within these regulations. We are trying to think creatively for ways to help you. If you cannot return to Stetson this fall and want to continue taking classes, you have a few options:
1. You could take Stetson classes entirely online from home if: you are a returning college student continuing your degree program. First time in college students MUST take at least half their credits face to face or hybrid to remain in good standing so they must come to Stetson and be actively attending classes.
2. First time in college students who have not yet gotten a visa can defer their start date for Stetson and register for classes online. Since you are not officially an international student until you are issued a visa you can choose to stay home and take the first semester of your degree online. you MUST contact the world office to have your I-20 start date deferred until spring. However, remember if you do have a visa you must come to campus and you must be in face to face or Hybrid classes if you want to study this fall.
3. If you have EU or UK citizenship and you are unable to return to Stetson this fall due to the travel bans in place on your country, you can study online from home. Athletes, you should talk to your coaches about this to be sure your athletic scholarships will remain available to you.
Another option you can choose is to spend two weeks in a third country quarantining there before proceeding onto the USA. We strongly suggest you keep all your receipts and travel documents if that is your choice to validate the time in the third country. Remember you will be required to quarantine again in the US upon your entry.
Either scenario, you should be in touch with Financial Aid to see if/how any of these options would impact your financial aid and scholarships. Athletes should be in touch with their coaches to see if/how this would impact their athletic scholarships.