Chapman Hall on UWM's campus

Students Who Are Unable to Arrive

International students planning to attend UWM in person must be on campus by the first day of classes. If you cannot be here by then, you must either defer your admission or start your classes online. 

How to Defer Your Admission 

Graduate students (Master’s/PhD)
  1. Request to defer your admission
    • You can request to defer up to one year from the term of your original admission. 
    • All course enrollment must be dropped before your request can be processed. For instructions on how to drop your classes, visit this page, select “Changing Your Class Schedule” and then view the instructions under “Drop a Single Class”.
    • Deferral requests typically take approximately 10 business days to process. 
  2. Check your financial support 
    • Any financial support you received will not automatically defer with your admission. Check with whoever offered you the funding to verify whether it will be deferred. 
  3. After your admission deferral is processed, request an I-20 
    • You will receive an email from isss@uwm.edu when your deferral is processed, which will include an updated admission letter and instructions on how to request an I-20.   
    • Students who already have an I-20: 
      • Your request for a new I-20 must be received within 30 days of the original I-20 Start Date to keep the same SEVIS number.   
      • I-20s issued after those 30 days may have a new SEVIS number, which may require you to re-pay the I-901 fee. 
    • Students who do not already have I-20 should follow the instructions in the deferral confirmation email. 

DEADLINE: The deadline to request a deferral is the first day of classes for your currently admitted term. Priority processing will be given in the order requests are received, and to those who already have I-20s. 

Undergraduate students (Bachelor’s) whose original term of admission was Fall 2024 or earlier

We have recently updated our undergraduate international student application process, so you will need to submit a new international undergraduate application.

Undergraduate students (Bachelor’s) whose original term of admission was Spring 2025 or later
  1. Request to defer your admission
    • You can request to defer up to one year from the term of your original admission. 
    • All course enrollment must be dropped before your request can be processed. For instructions on how to drop your classes, visit this page, select “Changing Your Class Schedule” and then view the instructions under “Drop a Single Class”.
    • Deferral requests typically take approximately 10 business days to process. 
  2. Check your financial support 
    • Any financial support you received will not automatically defer with your admission. Check with whoever offered you the funding to verify whether it will be deferred. 
  3. After your admission deferral is processed, request an I-20 
    • You will receive an email from isss@uwm.edu when your deferral is processed, which will include an updated admission letter and instructions on how to request an I-20.   
    • Students who already have an I-20: 
      • Your request for a new I-20 must be received within 30 days of the original I-20 Start Date to keep the same SEVIS number.   
      • I-20s issued after those 30 days may have a new SEVIS number, which may require you to re-pay the I-901 fee. 
    • Students who do not already have I-20 should follow the instructions in the deferral confirmation email. 

DEADLINE: The deadline to request a deferral is the first day of classes for your currently admitted term. Priority processing will be given in the order requests are received, and to those who already have I-20s. 

Start Your Classes Online 

  • Check with your program to verify that your courses are available online. 
  • You cannot arrive mid-term. If you start online, you must complete the term online, from outside the U.S., and then come in person at the beginning of the new term. 
  • Any financial support from UWM will not likely be available for online study.  Check with whoever offered you the funding to verify if you can use it for online study.