Portland State University enrolls students from many different countries. Most international students at Portland State hold one of two student visa types: F-1 or J-1. However, immigration status is not a barrier to enrollment at Portland State.
Student Visa Types
The two primary visas for academic students are the F-1 Academic and Language Training Student and the J-1 Exchange Visitor visas. Students with one of these two visa types must be formally admitted to Portland State University in order to receive a Certificate of Eligibility. For F-1 students, the certificate of eligibility is the I-20; for J-1 students, it is the DS-2019.
Non-student Visa Types
Many other nonimmigrant visa statuses allow individuals to engage in academic study incidental to their status in the U.S. Some common non-student visa types that allow for study include the E-2, L-2, and H-4 visas. The Department of Homeland Security has a guide to eligibility for study for each nonimmigrant visa type. Prospective students who hold a visa type that does not allow academic study in the U.S. may be eligible to obtain F-1 or J-1 status to allow for study. You may contact an OISSS advisor for more information if you hold a non-student immigration status and you are interested in becoming an F-1 or J-1 student.