International Students
Jane Meza, PhD, interim vice chancellor for academic affairs, welcomes international students during orientation.
We are excited that you have chosen UNMC to enhance your academic and professional backgrounds.
Including the 2024 fall semester, UNMC has 280 international students representing 46 countries. The Office of Global Engagement serves as a key resource to the UNMC community of international students, providing professional expertise and support from the time of admission to beyond graduation. We also provide information to help you maintain your immigration status.
We want to ensure that you will feel comfortable here in Omaha and call UNMC your home away from home. Learn about UNMC and Omaha.
Incoming International Student Support
The following resources will help you prepare to begin your studies as an international student at UNMC.
Online pre-arrival Zoom sessions for admitted students focus on one topic each session and allow time for questions. A subject-matter-expert will present available at each session.
Zoom links will be sent via email. If you cannot attend, the session will be recorded and posted on the Online Canvas orientation page for you to review. All sessions begin at 9 a.m. central daylight time, with is local time in Omaha.
- March 19: Visas and immigration.
- April 16: Visas and immigration.
- April 23: Housing.
- April 30: Planning your arrival date.
- May 28: Immunization documentation.
- June 4: Budgeting and finance.
- June 18: Arrival in Omaha - What to expect.
Orientation is a great opportunity to meet other incoming students, become acquainted with campus and get important information that will help you succeed at UNMC.
A pizza party for all incoming students will be held Wednesday, August 12.
The Fall 2026 International Student Orientation is scheduled for Thursday and Friday, August 13 and 14.
You can also find helpful information on UNMC's new student onboarding site.
As an incoming international student, you have access to a Canvas course. You will receive an email invitation to this course.
This course valuable information that supplements our in-person orientation. Canvas is an online learning platform that will be important throughout your studies.
Please take the time to get familiar with Canvas before you access the online course.
Before you access Canvas, you will need to activate DUO. Multi-factor authentication is a security system that requires more than one method of authentication to verify your identity.
Watch for email containing your UNMC username and account activation instructions
The international student guidebook is an excellent resource for getting started in Omaha and at UNMC.
The 2025 international student guidebook is now available: Successful Transition: A guidebook for international students.
We suggest that you arrive early to procure housing and settle into your new environment, both of which will contribute to your academic success. It can be difficult to find living accommodations near the UNMC campus. Waiting until the middle of August to arrive will create unnecessary challenges and distractions during the first days of the semester,
Do not arrive before your earliest admission date listed in your I-20.
UNMC’s Global Ambassador program was designed to provide peer-to-peer support and practical information about being a student at UNMC and living in Omaha. Ambassadors and new international students are partnered based on registration information. Partner communications begin several weeks before the international student arrives in Omaha and continues through the first several weeks of the fall semester.
A global ambassador acts as a preliminary source of practical information to help international students transition into their new community.
Incoming students – watch your UNMC emails for information on signing up for the ambassadors program.
These are important resources for incoming international students.