Before Arrival
Apply for a visa / SEVIS payment
Information on how to apply for a J-1 visa and payment of the SEVIS fee can be found here.
Recommended Arrival Date
We require you to arrive no less than one week before classes begin. This allows time to sign a housing contract, move in, attend orientation, get a tuberculosis test and learn your way around campus. Students may not arrive after classes begin.
Best Airport for Arrival
The Oklahoma City airport is only 25 minutes by car from Norman. The Dallas-Fort Worth Airport in Texas is more than 3 hours by car with no good connecting train service. We do not recommend Dallas/Fort Worth as your final flight destination.
Airport Transfer to Norman
Information on ground transportation from the airport to Norman is available through the Will Rogers World Airport Web site. If possible, save on transportation costs by sharing the ride with others. Unfortunately, the Education Abroad Office is no longer able to arrange for volunteers to pick up incoming students, but we still need to know when you will arrive! Please complete the Airport Transfer Request Form and send it to Tina Henderson.
Hotel Reservations
The hours of the Education Abroad Office during the arrival week are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. If you are going to arrive when our office and the University Housing office are closed, you will need to make arrangements to stay in a local hotel. We recommend that you go to the Norman Convention and Visitors Bureau web site for more information about lodging. Please note that there are no youth hostels in Norman and we no longer have a hotel on our campus. University Housing has provided hotel information on their website. Some hotels have free shuttles that will bring you to campus; ask when making a reservation if this service is available. Here is a link to several local Norman hotels. These are hotels that are close to dining, shopping and entertainment.
Public Transportation in Norman
Information on the CART system can be found here. A map of the Norman bus routes is available for download here.
Academic Calendar
The academic year at OU is nine months long and has two semesters. Each semester is fifteen weeks long, with one additional week for final examinations. The fall semester starts the third week of August and ends in mid-December before our Christmas holiday. Classes for the spring semester begin in mid-January and continue through the first week of May. OU also conducts three intersessions consisting of daily, intensive 2-week classes, as well as a summer session which lasts from the first of June until the end of July. Exchange students are not allowed to take courses during the intersessions or summer term.
During final exam week, students may have two examinations on one day. Unless a professor is not giving one, students are expected to take the exam for each course. These examinations may count for anywhere from 20 – 50% of the final grade in a course. Please do not schedule your return flight home before the end of final exam week! We cannot ask professors to let you leave early.
OU Academic Calendar
Information on how to apply for a J-1 visa and payment of the SEVIS fee can be found here.
Recommended Arrival Date
We require you to arrive no less than one week before classes begin. This allows time to sign a housing contract, move in, attend orientation, get a tuberculosis test and learn your way around campus. Students may not arrive after classes begin.
Best Airport for Arrival
The Oklahoma City airport is only 25 minutes by car from Norman. The Dallas-Fort Worth Airport in Texas is more than 3 hours by car with no good connecting train service. We do not recommend Dallas/Fort Worth as your final flight destination.
Airport Transfer to Norman
Information on ground transportation from the airport to Norman is available through the Will Rogers World Airport Web site. If possible, save on transportation costs by sharing the ride with others. Unfortunately, the Education Abroad Office is no longer able to arrange for volunteers to pick up incoming students, but we still need to know when you will arrive! Please complete the Airport Transfer Request Form and send it to Tina Henderson.
Hotel Reservations
The hours of the Education Abroad Office during the arrival week are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. If you are going to arrive when our office and the University Housing office are closed, you will need to make arrangements to stay in a local hotel. We recommend that you go to the Norman Convention and Visitors Bureau web site for more information about lodging. Please note that there are no youth hostels in Norman and we no longer have a hotel on our campus. University Housing has provided hotel information on their website. Some hotels have free shuttles that will bring you to campus; ask when making a reservation if this service is available. Here is a link to several local Norman hotels. These are hotels that are close to dining, shopping and entertainment.
Public Transportation in Norman
Information on the CART system can be found here. A map of the Norman bus routes is available for download here.
Academic Calendar
The academic year at OU is nine months long and has two semesters. Each semester is fifteen weeks long, with one additional week for final examinations. The fall semester starts the third week of August and ends in mid-December before our Christmas holiday. Classes for the spring semester begin in mid-January and continue through the first week of May. OU also conducts three intersessions consisting of daily, intensive 2-week classes, as well as a summer session which lasts from the first of June until the end of July. Exchange students are not allowed to take courses during the intersessions or summer term.
During final exam week, students may have two examinations on one day. Unless a professor is not giving one, students are expected to take the exam for each course. These examinations may count for anywhere from 20 – 50% of the final grade in a course. Please do not schedule your return flight home before the end of final exam week! We cannot ask professors to let you leave early.
OU Academic Calendar