Arrival

The Office of International Student Services (ISS) is located in Old Main. ISS is the place where international students receive assistance with practical matters (like employment, applying for a driver’s license, updating I-20s, and immigration questions). You can also receive your mail at ISS. Our address is: Marshall University, Office of International Student Services, One John Marshall Drive, Huntington, West Virginia 25755-1054. Our telephone is 304-696-6265 or you can send email to iss@marshall.edu.

Students pay tuition and fees at the Bursar’s Office located on the first floor of Old Main. You can also contact the Bursar’s Office through email at bursar@marshall.edu.

Information about on-campus housing is available in the Residence Services Office. On-campus housing cannot be guaranteed. A $200 reservation deposit is required of all first time residents. Students who live in the residence halls are required to purchase a meal plan. You must pay the housing and meal plan fees before you can begin living in the residence halls or eating in the cafeteria.

After you register and pay your tuition and fees, you will need to take your student number to the ID office in Drinko Library. Your picture will be taken, and an ID card will be made for you. The card is used for identification, to check books out of the Drinko Library and obtain free or discounted student tickets to sporting or cultural events. It has many uses. Be careful not to lose your ID card if you have meal plan dollars or other money on your card.

There are three cafeterias on the Marshall University campus, located at Twin Towers, Harless Dining Hall and the Memorial Student Center. The cafeterias are available for students living on and off-campus. To purchase your meal plan, go to the Student ID office in Drinko Library. They will provide the hours of operations for using the meal plan. You can purchase one of the various meal plans or you can purchase pre-paid meals in advance. In either case, your ID Card will be magnetically programmed for use in all of the campus cafeterias.

F-1 or J-1 and dependent students must purchase health insurance, unless they can prove, with documentation in English, that they are covered under another equivalent insurance plan. Student Health Insurance information is available in the Office of International Student Services or from our website. Student Health Insurance is to be paid directly to the insurance company.

If you drive a car to class, or if you own a car and live on campus, you must buy a parking permit at the Marshall University Parking & Transportation Office on the corner of 5th Avenue and 18th Street. If you do not use this permit, you could get a parking ticket from the campus police, which will cost you more money. We recommend that new international students not purchase a car until they have lived in the United States for at least one semester and understand the procedures for driving in West Virginia.

You may purchase your books in the Marshall University Bookstore, which is on first floor of the Memorial Student Center. Be sure to save your receipt. Sometimes it is possible to buy used books, but you should check with your instructor first. Your instructors may prefer that you buy only NEW books. School textbooks can be expensive; however it can be a waste of your time and money if you buy used textbooks that have all the answers written in them. Look inside all used books to make sure they are clean. Sometimes, the difference between a new and used book is only a few dollars.

After you receive your ID card, you should go to Drinko Library, to set up a free email and internet account. You can send and receive email in Marshall University computer labs. You may also learn to use the computer lab for typing papers, doing presentations, accessing the internet, and more.

Your class schedule will show you your buildings and room numbers.