Students should plan to attend every class session, whether in-person or online. All class meetings are mandatory, and an absence could negatively impact your final grade. Summer Sessions discourages late arrivals as it can impact a student’s ability to keep up with the fast pace and academic rigor of UC Berkeley summer classes.
For international students, arriving in the U.S. later than the date indicated on your visa document may cause issues at the port of entry. If you are delayed by visa processing, you should arrive on or before the first session start date listed on your I-20 whenever possible.
If unforeseen emergencies arise and you will miss classes, please take the following steps:
Classes
- If you won't arrive until after a class begins, you should contact your instructor to request written approval to join the class late and to ensure you can catch up on any missed material and complete your coursework. You can check for the email of each instructor via our campus directory.
- If the instructor does not approve a late arrival, you may change your enrolled session by following the instructions for Changing Sessions. If you are an international student and will change the session you enrolled in, please make sure to follow the instructions to Request a New I-20.
- If you no longer wish to attend Summer Sessions at all, please follow the instructions to Cancel or Withdraw your enrollment.
- If you cannot arrive in time for your scheduled session, you may be able to enroll in a combination of online and in-person classes.
Immigration
- Students should arrive on or before their first session start date with an initial I-20. If students arrive after the beginning of the session start date, students can be denied entry upon arrival in the U.S. by the Customs Officer.
- Students should go through customs and show their I-20 and passport/visa the way they normally do and hopefully, they should not run into any issues.
- If a student receives approval from the instructor, they should print the email and carry it with them just in case they are asked about their late arrival as this might help their case. As lines can get long and since it is so busy at the Port of Entry, students should only provide a copy of the email if the officer asks about their late arrival.
- If you are arriving late because of visa delays, contact your course instructors for written approval to join the class late and carry that approval letter with you when entering the U.S. to help avoid issues with immigration officers.
Housing
Students should contact their housing office or housing placement to notify them of the late arrival. If students are staying in on-campus residential housing, the email is summerhousing@berkeley.edu.
Please NOTE: If you will arrive after the first week of your first session, it is recommended that you drop your classes and enroll in a later session. If you have additional questions related to your visa, immigration status, or I-20 you can contact visiting-intl@berkeley.edu.