Frequently Asked Questions

International Student Services will be arranging your early arrival if you will be living in on-campus housing. You will be placed on an early arrivals list with Residence Life after you turn in your New Student Arrival form, which will allow you to move into your on-campus housing as soon as you arrive within the OISS recommended dates.

Please complete the New Student Arrival Form. On the form you will be able to request an airport pickup. Make sure you fill out the form as soon as you have travel arrangements so we may plan for your arrival.

YES and YES! It is not a requirement that your flight be during business hours, we will arrange for your pickup for whenever your flight arrives. Please complete the New Student Arrival Form and we will confirm with you before you arrive who will be meeting you at the airport.

Another service that International Student Services provides for incoming international students is a linen/bedding service. This costs $40, and includes, all new: one pillow, one set of sheets, one set of towels, and one blanket. This is a very affordable price and it allows you not to pack these items and have more room for other things. If you are interested, please indicate that on the New Student Arrival Form so we can have the linens ready for you upon arrival. You should be prepared to pay the $40 in cash at international orientation.

When you are filling out the housing contract you will mark the fall 2022 and spring 2023 semesters box, and under the box you will write ‘fall only’.

For the status, after Status during term for which housing is requested (check only one):write ‘fall 2022 exchange student’.

All students living in a Butler University Residence Hall are enrolled in a Resident Dining Plan. Students have the option of enrolling in either of the Resident Dining Plans offered each semester. The Resident Dining Plans include meal swipes as well as Flex Dollars that can be utilized at retail locations. A meal or card swipe (“swipe”) is an all-you-care-to-eat (AYCTE) meal at the Atherton Union Marketplace Café during normal operating hours. Flex Dollars can be used at any of the retail locations including Starbucks, Plum Market at C-Club, C-store in Apartment Village, HRC, and ResCo. Meal swipes are deposited onto cards at the start of each semester and do not roll over from semester to semester. You may also add Dawg Buck funds to your account if you run low.

The Community Block Plans allow for the swipe to be used at any meal at the Atherton Union Marketplace Café. Meal swipes may also be used as a “combo package” at retail locations. More information on Butler Dining is available at Butler.cafebonappetit.com

Flex Dollars

Flex Dollars can be used in the Atherton Marketplace, Starbucks, Plum Market, Convenience Store, HRC, and ResCo. Students may dine, purchase items to go, or just grab a cup of coffee. Unspent Flex Dollars DO NOT rollover from Semester to Semester. Flex dollars are not refundable.

Resident dining plans (required for Irvington, Fairview, Ross and Residential College)

Resident & Food Plan options & costs, are available on the Student Accounts website.

Community dining plans (voluntary)

Resident & Food Plan options & costs, are available on the Student Accounts website.

Dawg Bucks

Dawg Bucks is a declining balance account that is linked to your ID card and enables you to use your ID card to pay for on-campus meals/food. There also may be the opportunity to use Dawg bucks at local restaurant partnerships. Dawg bucks can be added to your account throughout the semester.

Flex Dollars are a part of your semester meal allowance plan that you sign up for through Residence Life. The amount varies on the plan you choose and it must be used within the semester. Unused Flex Dollars do not carry over semester to semester. However, money that you add to supplement your meal plan purchased through Dining Services (Dawg Bucks) does carry over from fall to spring semester and academic year to academic year.

You Butler ID and access will be sent by the Office of Admissions via email. There is no exact date when the emails are sent to students. It depends on when you are put into the Admissions’ database.

Please make sure you are looking for this email because it is very important for health insurance information, tuition balances and Butler email.

Close to an official Butler break you will receive an email from the Office of International Student Services as well as your Residence Hall/University Terrace explaining the procedures for a ‘break stay’. You will need to inform the front desk of your residence hall/UT as well as the Office of International Student Services, and be prepared to give the following information: your name (no nicknames), student id number, start & end date of the stay, and a reason for the stay.

Be aware that during most official breaks there dining halls and convenient stores on campus will either have fewer operating hours or no operating hours, and your meal plan will not be active.

Many of you have a health form that requires vaccinations and a signature from your doctor at home. If you cannot complete it in time to send it to Butler, just bring it to orientation and one of the nurses will be at orientation to pick them up.

You can contact the Butler Health Services Department at healthservices@shorinji-kempo.net with any of your health-related questions before your arrival. You can also visit the Health Services’ website.

F-1 and J-1 undergraduates will be automatically enrolled in the University-sponsored student health insurance program (with the exception of ISEP participants). No action is required; the charge will appear on a student’s University account. Policy information is updated each year on May 15 and can be found here.

Exchange students (J-1) will register with Jill McKinney, who is your academic advisor for your exchange period. You can contact her at jsmckinn@shorinji-kempo.net to discuss your schedule.

Degree-seeking students (F-1) will have an academic advisor assigned to them. If you have not corresponded with them via e-mail before arriving, we will arrange for you to meet them when you arrive so you can create your class schedule.

Your tuition balance will be in your My.Butler account. If you have any balance with Butler, you may pay with credit card, but there will be a transaction fee. You may also pay via bank wire transfer, but that also usually has varying fees depending on the bank. It is recommended that you bring a few checks in the event that you need to pay the balance before you return home.

Billing & Payment options are administered by the Office of Student Accounts located in Jordan Hall, 102.  Please visit their website for details.  For further assistance, including wire transfer information, please email studentaccounts@shorinji-kempo.net.

Yes, you are eligible, and my office facilitates the opening of bank accounts during international orientation. You only need your passport and your Butler ID card or another form of identification, and your Indianapolis address to open a bank account. Your debit card will be mailed to you, but you will need to visit a bank branch to activate your PIN.

Yes! When you open your bank account, let the banker know that and they can provide you with the complete information you need to give your parents to have a successful wire transfer.

International students have limited options to work. International students (F-1 & J-1) can work on-campus for 20 hours per week with correct authorization from the International Student Services Office. You may begin working on-campus as soon as you arrive. Once you have an offer of employment, you will need a Social Security Number. You may only apply for a SSN with work authorization and you it is recommended that you wait 10 days after you are registered in SEVIS to apply for a SSN.

After one year at Butler, F-1 international students are eligible for off campus internships in their area of study called Curricular Practical Training (CPT). The International Student Services Office provides the correct work authorization for these internships.

After graduating, F-1 international students are eligible for a 12-month practicum experience in their area of study called Optional Practical Training (OPT). The International Student Services Office aids the student in filing the correct paperwork with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Office (USCIS) 90 days before graduation up to 60 days after graduation. The processing time for USCIS is stated as 90 days.

J-1 Non-degree students are eligible for Academic Training (AT) (PDF) for the amount of time that they studied in the United States and never more than 18 months of Academic Training can be given. Students are not eligible for more than 24 months (TOTAL) in J-1 non-degree status (24 months includes time studied and time in Academic Training). For example, if you study for one semester (approximately 4 months), your Academic Training cannot exceed four months. All J-1 students please see the Center for Global Education in JH212 for more information and to request Academic Training.