The Office of International Programs (OIP) is the principal office on campus designated to respond to the diverse needs of the campus community with respect to international education. Prospective and degree-seeking international students, SFSU faculty and students wishing to work or study abroad, visiting scholars and students, and international alumni are all served by this office.
OIP has a professional, multi-lingual staff who provide a range of services and programs to assist students, faculty, and staff in realizing their respective goals in international education. The staff are, also, well informed about community programs and resources and cross-cultural issues, and are dedicated to assist international students and scholars in making their stay at SFSU as rewarding as possible. OIP is open year round, and welcomes members of the campus community to visit our office, or our home page on the World Wide Web (http://www.sfsu.edu/~oip). The office maintains an extensive Study Abroad Resource Center with information on work and study opportunities overseas. Appointments may also be made to speak with any of our advising staff.
For more information, contact OIP at (415) 338-1293; fax: (415) 338-6234; e-mail (general information): oip@sfsu. edu; e-mail (study abroad information): studyabr@sfsu. edu.
OIP oversees the university's international student recruitment and outreach efforts and activities. The office is responsible for responding to the thousands of inquiries received from prospective international students each year. Pre-admission and transfer advising and admission follow-ups are provided by OIP's recruitment advisers. The advisers work closely with international student counselors and transfer centers at California's community colleges and provide on-site advising and workshops to transferring international students. OIP serves as a liaison with U.S. advising centers overseas, Fulbright Commission offices, foreign universities, and educational organizations concerned with academic placement.
OIP also assists the university's many F-1 and J-1 visa international students and scholars in adjusting to life at SFSU, the San Francisco Bay Area, and the United States. At the beginning of each semester, OIP conducts a two-week orientation program for new international students and scholars. In addition, the office provides advice concerning immigration and visa matters, cultural adjustment, academic matters, personal and financial counseling, and employment regulations. Furthermore, OIP conducts various workshops during the academic year on topics of special interest to international students and scholars and organizes a variety of social, cultural, educational, and recreational activities designed to help familiarize international students and scholars with life in the U.S.
OIP provides information and advisement on the two officially sanctioned study abroad programs: The California State University International Programs (IP) and the bilateral exchange programs between SFSU and selected foreign universities. The IP program is affiliated with institutions from sixteen (16) countries around the world: Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, New Zealand, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, and Zimbabwe (see California State University International Programs section of this Bulletin). SFSU has established bilateral exchange agreements with universities in Argentina, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Japan, Korea, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the United Kingdom (see San Francisco State University Bilateral Programs section of this Bulletin). These programs allow students from any academic major to make progress towards their SFSU degree while enhancing their academic program with an overseas experience. Financial aid applies, and, since participating students in either program are still enrolled at SFSU, they only pay their regular SFSU tuition and fees. Information workshops are offered at the beginning of each semester. In addition, OIP maintains a Study Abroad Resource Center which contains information on other independent, non-CSU administered study abroad programs, and materials covering a variety of study, travel, and work abroad related topics such as financial resources, teaching and internships, gay and lesbian resources, resources for students with disabilities, women's concerns, students of color issues, volunteer programs, safety and health issues, transportation, and homestays and housing information, to name a few. OIP also sponsors an annual Study/Work/Travel Abroad Fair every Fall semester, and serves as the advisory office for U.S. Student Fulbright Grants and the U.S. National Security Education Program.
Dedicated to supporting international exchange, OIP jointly facilitates the international scholarly movement of faculty to and from SFSU. OIP assists in bringing visiting scholars to the campus through a variety of services, including orientation and advising on immigration and personal matters after their arrival. OIP is the only office authorized to issue immigration documentation to enable these scholars to come to SFSU on J-1 visas. OIP also assists SFSU faculty members who seek to engage in scholarly activities overseas, such as the Fulbright Scholar program.