Office of International Programs

International students may work no more than 20 hours per week on-campus while school is in session. These 20 hours include the work you do for your assistantship if you have one. You are not permitted to work off-campus without receiving prior authorization. If you have any questions about employment as an international student not covered on this website please contact an ISSSO advisor.

You must complete your degree requirements within the normally allowed time-frame as indicated on your immigration form (I-20 or DS-2019). If you would like to request more time to complete your degree or academic program, please complete and submit a request online. 

International students at Appalachian must be enrolled in 12 credit hours for undergraduate students or 9 credit hours for graduate students to be considered full time. You are not allowed to drop below full course of study without prior authorization from an ISSSO and only under very limited circumstances. You will need to request permission to drop below full-time status by completing and submitting request online.

Federal regulations allow you to enter the U.S. 30 days before the start date listed on your DS-2019 and forbid you from arriving any later than 30 days after the start date.  Additionally, you are required to depart the U.S. within 30 days after the program end date listed on your DS-2019. Please keep these dates in mind as you make your travel arrangements to and from the U.S. 

Preparing for your trip:

Once you have been issued a Form DS-2019 from Appalachian State University, you should begin the process of acquiring your J-1 Exchange Visitor Visa as quickly as possible. The following steps should be taken.

F-1 students and J-1 Exchange Visitors who wish to obtain a North Carolina driver’s license may be able to do so.

The documents you will need to present to the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) are:

All J-1 Exchange Visitors who are on Appalachian payroll will require a Social Security number. The closest Social Security Administration office is in Wilkesboro, NC. Our office will provide transportation to the Social Security Administration office for eligible students and scholars three times each semester. If you are unable to go at the times organized, your faculty host will provide arrangements for you to go. For information about future trips, please contact us at issso@appstate.edu.

All J-1 Exchange Visitors and J-2 dependents are required by federal regulations to maintain health insurance for the entire duration of their J-1 Exchange Visitor Program that meets the following requirements:

If you plan to travel outside of the U.S. during your time as a J-1 Exchange Visitor at Appalachian, it is very important that you have the necessary documents to both enter another country and reenter the U.S. in valid J-1 status. For information about what is required to enter a country other than the U.S., please refer to the embassy or consulate of that country for specific requirements.

To reenter the U.S. in J-1 status you will need the following documents:

The J-1 Exchange Visitor visa was created to provide opportunities for cultural exchange between the United States and other nations, thereby “building mutual understanding between Americans and people of other countries.” These activities are an essential component of the J-1 Exchange Visitor’s experience at Appalachian and required for Appalachian to continue to host J-1 Exchange Visitors.