Annual Report
Learn about UB's international student population, ISS services, programming and more.
Our Mission
To enhance the experiences of international students by providing the highest levels of knowledge and expertise in immigration advising, advocacy, and programming to the UB campus community. In addition, we are dedicated to building and maintaining partnerships across the campus to encourage international student well-being, and academic and professional success.
Who are UB's F-1 and J-1 Students?
Enrollment
A total of 5,781 international students were enrolled across the Summer 2022, Fall 2022, Winter 2023 & Spring 2023 semesters.
- 75.9% Graduate
- 24.1% Undergraduate
Top Degree Programs
Graduate Students
- Computer Science & Engineering
- Engineering Science
- Data Science & Applications
- Management Information Systems
- Industrial Engineering
Undergraduate Students
- Business Administration
- Computer Science
- Economics
- Psychology
- Aerospace Engineering
Where do international students come from?
By Region
- 93.3% Asia
- 1.9% North America
- 1.8% Europe
- 1.7% Africa
- 0.8% South America
- 0.3% Caribbean/Central America
- 0.2% Australia/Oceania
Enrolled international students represented 95 countries.
Top 10 Countries of Origin
- India
- China
- South Korea
- Canada
- Bangladesh
- Iran
- Taiwan
- Turkey
- Saudi Arabia
- Vietnam
International Students by Visa Category
- 98.3% F-1 Visa
- 5,670 of 5,781
- 1.7% J-1 Visa
- 101 of 5,781
J-1 Student Categories
88% of J-1 Sponsored Students received Fulbright
15 out of 17 of the sponsored J-1 students that UB hosted were Fulbright recipients.
J-1 Student Breakdown
- 46.5% Non-Degree Seeking Exchange
- 36.6% Degree Seeking Unsponsored
- 16.8% Degree Seeking Sponsored
New International Student Enrollment
Fall 2022
- 1,700 New Graduate Students
- 334 New Undergraduate Students
Spring 2023
- 381 New Graduate Students
- 67 New Undergraduate Students
F-1 Off-Campus Work Authorization
Curricular Practical Training (CPT)
CPT is a type of work authorization that allows F-1 students to complete off-campus training experiences in the student‘s field of study. Students on CPT must be enrolled in an appropriate course and must maintain a full course of study.
Summer 2022
- 58 Part-Time
- 508 Full-Time
Fall 2022
- 204 Part-Time
- 51 Full-Time
Winter 2023
- 17 Part-Time
- 10 Full-Time
Spring 2023
- 93 Part-Time
- 11 Full-Time
Optional Practical Training (OPT)
OPT is an F-1 student benefit granted by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) that allows students to work off-campus in a job related to their major to supplement their academic experience with practical experience.
Types of OPT
- Enrolled students
- Prior to graduation
- After graduation
- Duration: 12 months
- Only for STEM majors
- After Post-Completion OPT
- Duration: 24 months
Approved OPT
- 1,983 Post-Completion
- 1,467 STEM Extension
- 9 Pre-Completion
99.7% of our students on OPT were on their Post-Completion or STEM Extension, meaning they had already graduated and were no longer tuition and fee-paying students.
J-1 Student Intern Program
The intention of the J-1 student intern program is for the student intern to enhance skills, expand knowledge and promote international exchange through completion of an internship. The internship must fulfill a home country degree requirement, be a minimum of 32 hours/week of work and student interns must maintain enrollment at their home institution.
Arrivals by Semester
Summer 2022
- 3 Student Interns
Fall 2022
- 7 Student Interns
Spring 2023
- 6 Student Interns
Where Do Our J-1 Student Interns Come From?
Countries of Origin
- Argentina
- Canada
- Chile
- China
- France
- India
- Ireland
- Italy
- Spain
- Switzerland
- Taiwan
"Interns have made significant contributions to advancing our research, and have brought valuable new perspectives to the team. Most of these students were ultimately co-authors of published research papers based on their contributions. Some of these exchanges launched or benefited collaborations with the intern’s home institution or primary research advisor there.”
- Mark Swihart, SUNY Distinguished Professor and Department Chair, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering
ISS Services
Staff
Full-Time Staff
11 total, including:
- 4 International Student Advisors
- 1 Student Success Advisor
- 2 International Student Coordinators
Student Staff
6 total, including:
- 2 Graduate Assistants
- 4 Student Assistants
What Services Do We Offer?
Fast Facts
- 27,542 E-Forms Processed
- 44,917 E-mails Sent
- 362 Phone Calls
- 4,609 Front Desk Visits
- 6,350 Advising Sessions
During the Academic Year:
- 1,972 graduating students requested Post-Completion OPT I-20s.
- 1,363 enrolled students requested a Social Security DSO letter for on-campus work.
- 869 enrolled students requested CPT for off-campus internships.
Breakdown by Semester
Summer 2022
- 1,726 Advising
- 11,228 E-Forms
- 13,771 Emails
- 1,435 Visits
Fall 2022
- 1,767 Advising
- 6,798 E-Forms
- 11,763 Emails
- 1,754 Visits
Winter 2023
- 488 Advising
- 2,290 E-Forms
- 6,442 Emails
- 165 Visits
Spring 2023
- 2,369 Advising
- 7,226 E-Forms
- 12,941 Emails
- 1,255 Visits
Top 10 Programs of Enrolled Students Utilizing ISS Advising
Top Programs Advised
- Computer Science & Engineering MS
- Engineering Sciences MS
- Industrial Engineering MS
- Management Information Systems MS
- Computer Science & Engineering PhD
- Computer Science BS
- Business Administration BS
- Data Science & Applics MPS
- Finance MS
- Civil Engineering PhD
“Great to the point answers to my complicated question. It is assuring to know that the advisors have good knowledge on specific situations.”
-F-1 MS Student
“I think the advisor did a great job advising me and took the time to address the nuances of my question.”
-F-1 PhD Student
96% (174/181) of respondents to our Advising Feedback survey agreed or strongly agreed that the ISS advisor:
- treated them with respect
- took the time to listen to their situation/question
- provided resources to help them understand their next steps
Advising After Graduation
Even after graduation, our OPT students still regularly need our services.
Alumni Support
OPT students comprised:
- 30% of all e-form requests
- 55% of all advising sessions
- 53% of sampled callers
“ISS Advisor responded really promptly and efficiently to all my queries. Always nice to work with the folks at ISS. You guys do a great job! Love UB!“
-Alum, Class of 2021
How Do We Engage with Our Students?
New Student Engagement
Pre-Arrival Communication
305 students responded to our New International Student survey where
- 95% (290) of respondents found the pre-arrival emails from ISS informative or very informative, and
- 90% (276) of respondents found the New Student pages on the ISS website helpful or very helpful for planning their arrival at UB.
Pre-Arrival Live Events
Offered in collaboration with different campus partners, goals for Pre-Arrival Live Events include maintaining status, navigating UB, and transition support for new students.
- The “HUB Student Center: Class registration, Bill Payment & International Payment” session was the most attended for both Fall 2022 and Spring 2023.
- 97% (295/305) of respondents indicated that these were helpful or very helpful in their preparations to attend UB.
International Student Welcome Series (ISW)
- 91% (279/305) of Spring 2023 respondents agreed that the ISW program and events were effective or very effective at making them feel welcomed at UB.
- 93%* (38/41) of respondents reported feeling valued or very valued as a member of the UB community after attending the ISW Ceremony.
Through a collaborative process, new and transfer UG F-1 students started to participate in UB's “New to UB” program facilitated by OTPP.
Newsletters
International BULLetin
- Sent biweekly to international students
OPT Newsletter
- Sent to all OPT students
- Total of 21 newsletters were sent out during the last academic year
Social Media
- Reach: 6,543
- Total Followers: 2,476
- New Followers: 148
*Reach is the number of unique users that viewed our content.
- Reach: 21,784
- Total Followers: 2,849
- New Followers: 419
- Profile Visits: 13,284
YouTube
- Total Views: 10,263
- Total Watch Time (hours): 209
- Total Subscribers: 279
- New Subscribers: 121
International Student Advisory Council
The International Student Advisory Council brings together a diverse representation of international students at the University at Buffalo to communicate the needs and challenges of international students. Board members are volunteer student leaders who provide a direct line of communication between international students, International Student Services, and campus partners in support of the international student experience at the University at Buffalo.
Council Members
15 students who represent:
- 13 Majors
- 13 Countries
- 3 Levels of Study
- 6 Bachelor's
- 6 Master's
- 5 Doctoral
Academic Success Workshops
Designed to assist new incoming students with navigating U.S. educational norms, connecting to on-campus resources and learning new studying techniques.
- 82% (23/28) of all Spring 2023 attendees were undergraduate students.
“I loved learning and reiterating study tips and hearing from the presenter and other students. The scones were so delicious, they helped me love english scones that I hadn’t tried before.”
-"Scones & Study Skills" participant
International Education Week (IEW)
IEW presents the richness of cultures and promotes the benefits of international education for our campus and greater community of Western New York.
We had 21 events in collaboration with campus partners and 3 events offered by other schools.
Total Attendees: 615 (510 in-person + 105 online)
Top 3 Highest-Attended Events
International Fair
- 160 attendees
Korean Speech Contest & Cultural Day
- 120 attendees
Thanksgiving Without Borders
- 57 attendees
Information Sessions
We offer multiple virtual sessions promoting education on immigration benefits and maintaining status.
Fall Attendance
- Curricular Practical Training (CPT): 50
- Optional Practical Training (OPT): 276
- Post-OPT Employment: H-1B and Other Visa Options: 33
- OPT Extension: STEM and Cap Gap: 8
SPring Attendance
- Curricular Practical Training (CPT): 76
- Optional Practical Training (OPT): 183
- Post-OPT Employment: H-1B and Other Visa Options: 48
- OPT Extension: STEM and Cap Gap: 26
- F-1 & J-1 Student Travel: Are You Ready to Fly?: 5
ISS Trips
Our trips help to facilitate cultural learning and social connections each semester. Last year we hosted 4 trips with a total of 527 attendees. Our average trip rating was 4.5 out of 5.
- The “Letchworth State Park” trip was the highest attended with 220 students.
- 85% (104/123) of respondents indicated that the trip helped them to learn more about the WNY community.
- 91% (111/123) of respondents indicated that they are likely to take actions to learn more about the WNY community.
Questions?
Please email iss@buffalo.edu with any questions.