Undergraduate (Bachelor’s) Students: You may be eligible for scholarships. Please contact the International Admissions Office at international@rowan.edu for more information.

Graduate (Master’s, PhD, and COGS) Students: Unlike most universities in the U.S. that charge out-of-state costs to international students, Rowan University provides in-state tuition and fees for international graduate students. For this reason, we do not offer scholarships for graduate students. However, admitted graduate students may be eligible to apply for other financial assistance through Graduate Assistantships (GAs) – these are not research-based and may not be within your major.

Your NetID credentials are the username and password you will use to access various Rowan University websites and applications, including your student email address and Terra Dotta profile.

View this page on our website for detailed instructions on the NetID activation and Duo enrollment processes. Contact Rowan IRT at support@rowan.edu for assistance if you have any questions or encounter any issues. 

All students admitted after January 2024 can access their student email address via Microsoft Outlook. Students admitted before January 2024 can access it via Gmail. See this website for more information. You will use your NetID (see above) to log into your student email address.

All communications with Rowan University offices and employees must be done through your student email address. If you do not use your student email address, your email may accidentally be marked as spam. 

To receive your I-20, you must access the Terra Dotta portal (see below). Once you are in your Terra Dotta profile, follow the instructions to complete the I-20 application. Please make sure you upload all required documents to prevent delays. We cannot accept applications or documents via email for security reasons.

You will receive an email inviting you to access your profile in Terra Dotta 2-3 business days after you pay your enrollment deposit AND activate your NetID/enroll in Duo. The email will be sent to your Rowan University student email address (see above).

After you have logged into Terra Dotta, you can continue to access your profile via the link https://ic.rowan.edu/. Please make sure you select the option to “log in using campus ID” and use your NetID credentials. You will not be able to access Terra Dotta until you have been officially invited to the portal.

Make sure you pay the enrollment deposit, activate your NetID, and enroll in Duo. Please wait 2-3 business days for the email to be sent to your student email address after you enroll in Duo (see above).

If you are a student who applied to Rowan University in a previous semester, please contact us via email to re-activate your Terra Dotta account.

If it has been more than 3 business days since you activated your NetID and enrolled in Duo and you have not received the Terra Dotta email invitation, please contact us at rowanic@rowan.edu for assistance.

When submitting your I-20 application, be sure to self-identify yourself as a transfer-in student using the yellow transfer-in button within tab 2 of your Terra Dotta profile. You should contact your DSO at your current institution and choose a date for the transfer to take place that is a good fit for you. Your SEVIS record should be transferred to us between the end of your semester and before classes begin at Rowan. You will need to send your current DSO a copy of your acceptance letter from Rowan for them to complete the transfer, as well as the transfer form with our school code. You will find our transfer form including the school code for the Glassboro campus within the transfer-in request.

After your SEVIS record is transferred, you must also apply for an I-20 from Rowan University. You should follow the steps within your Terra Dotta portal to upload your supporting documentation (passport, bank statement, affidavit of support) for review.

We process I-20/DS-2019 applications as quickly as possible in the order they were received. We will contact you via your student email address as soon as your I-20/DS-2019 has been issued.

Make sure you submitted your application by logging back into your Terra Dotta profile, navigating to section 5 (“Completed”), and clicking the submit button.

Please check your student email to make sure we did not contact you requesting additional information. You may have to upload additional supporting documents and resubmit your application, and we cannot issue your I-20/DS-2019 without those documents.

International Student Onboarding is MANDATORY for all new international students. It is held a week before the semester begins. Onboarding dates and additional information can be found on our International Onboarding webpage.

Please see your Terra Dotta profile for additional information and instructions on how to register.

Move-in for international students is usually the same week as International Student Onboarding. Move-in dates and additional important dates can be found on our Pre-Arrival webpage. See your Terra Dotta profile for more information.

For any questions about housing, please contact the Office of Residential Learning & University Housing at housingquestions@rowan.edu. 

Once you receive your visa, you must upload a copy to your Terra Dotta profile using the “Visa Confirmation” request option in the Control Panel.

For a list of other requirements, please refer to the “Next Steps as a Rowan Student” section of your Terra Dotta portal.

If you have any questions, you can find the appropriate office to contact using our Campus Contacts and Resources webpage.

All international students must be enrolled full-time except under specific circumstances (see below). To be enrolled full-time, students must be enrolled in a certain amount of credits per semester.

• Undergraduate students: 
  
  • Federal regulations require undergraduate students to take at least 12 credits to be considered full-time. Of those 12 credits, at least 9 credits must be from in-person classes. 
• Graduate students:
  • Federal regulations require graduate students to take at least 9 credits to be considered full-time. Of those 9 credits, at least 6 credits must be from in-person classes. 

• For example, an undergraduate student can take 9 credits in-person and 6 credits online (15 credits total), but CANNOT take 6 credits in-person and 6 credits online; the minimum requirement for undergraduates is 9 in-person credits.

If you have any questions about this requirement, feel free to reach out to us via email.

• The closest Social Security Offices and their addresses and contact information are:
  • 830 Delsea Dr., Glassboro, NJ 08028; 866-883-5305
  • 6 Executive Campus, Suite 200, Cherry Hill, NJ 08002; 866-931-2879
  • 532 Fellowship Rd., Suite E, Mt Laurel Township, NJ 08054; 866-837-5002

After you get the ineligibility letter from the Social Security Office or already have a Social Security card, you will need to go to the MVC. When going to the MVC, please also make sure to review information related to 6 Points of ID and F-2 international student dependents when applying for a license. You must present the social security card or social security ineligibility letter and proof of address in addition to your primary and secondary documents. All documents when added together should equal or exceed 6 points.

We recommend that you bring your passport (primary document - 4 points) and school ID with enrollment verification (3 points). You can get your enrollment verification from the Registrar’s Office here. Alternatively, you can bring your passport (primary 4 points) and health insurance card (1 point) and U.S. bank statement on letterhead (1 point).

Generally, in the state of NJ, the rule is that if you can provide proof of the validity of your foreign driver’s license, you obtain your NJ driver’s license without taking any tests. Rules may be different if you are under the age of 21. You can confirm this with the NJ MVC. An auto driver’s license costs $24.00 in the state of NJ. As long as you bring all the proper paperwork with you to the MVC, your license will be printed and issued the same day. If you do not have a foreign driver’s license, you will need to take the driver’s tests to obtain a NJ license.

• Note: Travel signatures are valid for 12 months from the date of issuance (or 6 months for OPT students). 

• For students with on-campus employment
  • In order to get a SSN, first you must get a Social Security Verification Letter from our office. See this page of our website for details. Please log into Terra Dotta, navigate to the Control Center, and find the request option called “Social Security Verification Request.” Fill out the required information, and where it says “Approver,” please put the supervisor of your job. After you click “submit,” your supervisor will receive an email with instructions on how to approve your request. We cannot issue your letter without this approval. If it takes longer than a few weeks for the supervisor to approve the request, please follow up with them via email. After we receive approval, one of our advisors will issue you a Social Security Verification Letter and provide more information on how to get your SSN.
• For students on OPT
  • If you do not have a social security number when you are applying for OPT, the I-765 form that is required to fill out for an OPT request, will ask if you want the social security administration to issue you a Social Security card. Select yes if you want them to issue you a Social Security card and fill in the required information on the I-765 form. 

Regulations allow F-1 students to work on-campus OR at campus-affiliates locations (such as Barnes and Noble or Gourmet Dining). Per government regulations and university policies, you cannot work more than 20 hours per week. You will need a Social Security Number (see above) to get paid. Please see this page on our website for more information. 

International students do not need special authorization to work on-campus, unless the work is considered an internship that will count towards your degree. In that case, you will need to apply for CPT (see below).

CPT is a form of work authorization that allows F-1 students to gain work experience in their field of study. CPT employment is an integral part of a major’s curriculum and allows you to participate in an internship, practicum, or cooperative education program. To be eligible for CPT, your program MUST require an internship or offer an internship course. You must also have completed at least one full academic year of study in the United States.  CPT is only available for current students. Please contact your academic advisor or program coordinator to see if this is an available option for your program. See this link for more information. 

OPT is a form of work authorization that allows F-1 students to gain work experience in their field of study. OPT employment is optional for any student who meets eligibility requirements and is not required for the course of study. OPT is not employer-specific and can be done before or after graduation. Click here for information on Pre-Completion OPT, and click here for information on Post-Completion OPT.

Please refer to this document for more information.

Pre-Completion OPT can be done during your studies if you have been enrolled at Rowan University for one academic year. During the academic year, you can only work part time (20 hours or less); during summer or winter break, you can work as many hours as you like. Part-time Pre-Completion OPT accrues at a rate of 50%. For example, 6 months of part-time pre-completion OPT counts as 3 months of the total of 12 months of OPT you are allowed. Note: All periods of pre-completion OPT are deducted from the available post-completion OPT. Employment must be related to your course of study.

Post-Completion OPT can be done after completing your degree. This allows up to 12 months of work permission. Authorized students on post-completion OPT must work at least 20 hours a week with a maximum of 60 days of unemployment allowed. Employment must be related to your course of study.

STEM OPT (Optional Practical Training) extension allows F-1 students to work up to an additional 24 months (2 years) after completing Post-Completion OPT. STEM Extension only applies to certain STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) majors. The full list of currently approved majors can be found on the USCIS website. Click here for more information on STEM Extension OPT.

To apply for the STEM Extension, you must first request a STEM OPT I-20. We have a new process now since we have recently implemented the new software Terra Dotta as an international student portal. 

• Please log in at ic.rowan.edu with your Rowan University NetID and password. Please contact support at 856-256-4400 or support@rowan.edu if you have issues with your NetID or if you need to have your DUO reactivated. 

• After logging in, navigate to the Control Center and find the request called “OPT-STEM Extension.” Please note that this request will not appear in your portal until 90 days prior to your last OPT day. 

• Kindly complete the request with all the correct information and documents and submit it. The International Center will review it and process it accordingly. There are detailed instructions listed in the STEM Extension request that will walk you through the application. 

• Page 5 of the Form I-983 should be left blank for now. You will complete the self-evaluation after 12 months and after 24 months of your STEM extension. 

• In addition to the Form I-983, you should also submit a draft of the Form I-765 for review, similarly to when you applied for Post-Completion OPT. You should start filling out the I-765 through the USCIS portal, STOP before signing and submitting it, safe it as a draft .pdf, and upload the document to the request in Terra Dotta. 

• We will sign your updated I-20 electronically, and it will be available to view and download from Terra Dotta.