In 2012, the University of Delaware began an initiative to increase its international student enrollment and to develop tailored services for its international community. As a result, the Office for International Students and Scholars (OISS) has experienced tremendous growth, seeing a 200+ percent increase since 2009 in the number of international students attending the 22,000+ student university. Now serving an average of 5,000 international students, scholars, and dependents each year, our department has grown from a team of four to 18 professionals managing immigration services and 100+ dedicated programs.
Given this growth, our paper-based registration and advising system wasn’t efficient or sustainable. We needed a way to meet the challenges of managing international student programs and compliance at scale. We implemented Terra Dotta’s ISSS software to offer students a better registration and advising process and ensure reliable compliance standards. Here are some of the improvements this technology-driven process has allowed us to make.
1. Integrate SEVIS compliance for enhanced visa support
For Delaware and other universities, automating the international registration and advising process, as well as SEVIS compliance, provides faster, more effective U.S. visa support and document services—a critical concern for international students. Offering streamlined SEVIS reporting and immigration alerts and communication allows our international students to focus on their education instead of becoming consumed by their visa status.…Read More