As Soon as Possible

Prepare for Preliminary Screening for Admission Letter and JW 201/202 Form. You need to submit your passport information, prepare a non-criminal record from the local police department, and sign a Commitment Letter of Physical Examination for GT-Shenzhen to start issuing Admission Letter and JW 201/202 Form.

You will receive a notification via email, and GT-Shenzhen staff will assist you with the process.

As Soon as Possible

Prepare your online Visa application. You can visit the Chinese Embassies in your country by clicking this link:https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/eng/wjb_663304/zwjg_665342/2490_665344/  

Once complete your online Visa application and get Admission Letter and JW201/202 form

Schedule an appointment to hand in your documentation. You may schedule the earliest time slot to hand in all files required. And wait for your Visa.

As Soon as Possible

Complete the International Travel Registry - IAP. For students who exchange from GT-Atlanta or GT-Europe, please complete the International Travel Registry - IAP.

Within 24hr of your arrival in Shenzhen

Complete the Temporary Residence Registration. International students shall, within 24 hours after their arrival in Shenzhen, go through the registration formalities with the public security organs in their places of residence.

You will receive a notification via email, and GT-Shenzhen staff will assist you with the process.

The first week of the semester

Complete the Physical Examination. A physical examination is mandatory for all international students who enter China holding an X1 Visa and plan to stay longer than six months. When you apply for a residence permit in China, you will need to submit the appropriate documents confirming you have passed the physical examination.

You will receive a notification via email, and GT-Shenzhen staff will assist you with the process.

The second week of the semester

Apply for Residence Permit. If the student Visa indicates there is a requirement to apply for a residence permit after entry, the student shall apply within 30 days from the date of entry to obtain a foreigner’s residence permit from the Shenzhen Exit and Entry Bureau.

You will receive a notification via email, and GT-Shenzhen staff will assist you with the process.

Recommended Completion Date

Checklist Item

As Soon as Possible 

Submit official documents. Although you may have applied with unofficial academic documents, you must now submit your final transcripts and degree certifications prior to the start of the semester. Students with non-English credentials must submit official academic documents in both the native language and English. You have two options for submitting official documents. 

Option 1: Electronic official transcripts can be emailed directly from your previous institutions to transcripts@grad.gatech.edu or directly sent via Parchment, eScrip-SAFE, National Student Clearing House, TrueCopy, OpenCerts, CSSD, and CDGDC.  Anything sent forwarded from the students is considered unofficial.

Option 2: Paper official documents can be sent directly by the institutions you have attended via post mail or sent by you in the original, unopened, school-sealed envelope. Please see the attachments to view samples of official documents. (Transcript; Degree certification; Envelope) 

Mailing Address: 
Office of Graduate Education 
Georgia Institute of Technology 
631 Cherry St., Room 301 
Atlanta, GA 30332-0321 
Phone: +1 4048941610

*Photocopies are NOT acceptable.

**Please keep in mind that Georgia Tech does not send documents back to students.

***If your school does not provide English translations of your documents, they must be translated by a professional translation service. There are many licensed translation companies available online.

As Soon as Possible 

Take the Admissions Survey. Help us improve our processes for future new graduate students. Take the survey here.  

As Soon as Possible 

Activate your Georgia Tech account. Visit passport.gatech.edu to start the process. 

Two to Four  Weeks Prior to the First Day of Class

Access your Georgia Tech email. Do not attempt access more than a month prior to arriving on campus. 

If it is two weeks prior to your arrival and you are still experiencing access issues, please request help via OIT (Office of Information Technology) at https://oit.gatech.edu/.  

As Soon as Possible but No Later than the 3rd Monday of the Semester

Complete two-factor authentication enrollment. Georgia Tech requires all students to enroll in Two-Factor Authentication to enhance the security of student accounts and online access to sensitive information. You can self-enroll through passport.gatech.edu. More information: oit.gatech.edu/two-factor-authentication. 

As Soon as Possible 

Visit our Current Students Page. Details regarding IT matters, registration, and tuition are located here: https://www.shenzhen.gatech.edu/current-students/ 

Before Arriving at GTSI 

Read over the graduate handbook of your program. This document will inform you of the policies and resources you need to know as a new graduate student at GT-Shenzhen. 

ECE Graduate Handbook 

ISyE (Analytics) Graduate Handbook 

ENVE Graduate Handbook 

CS Graduate Handbook

MID Graduate Handbook

When Possible 

Review graduate sections of the catalog. This contains information about Georgia Tech, degree programs, and graduate policies and procedures. For more information, visit https://www.catalog.gatech.edu/. 

Nov. 30

Complete the form of student information collection. For administrative, statistical, and emergency contact purposes, students who decide to matriculate will receive an email to collect their personal information. Your personal data will be accessed only by our employees or contractors who are authorized to do so. 

Chinese Mainland students

Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan students

International students

As Soon as You Receive the Email (Nov. 30) 

Submit your housing application. You will receive an email requesting your housing application, please reply in a timely manner. 

Mid- Dec 

Attend the online welcome session. You will be invited to attend an online welcome session that includes information on the check-in process, roommate matching, tips for studying and living in Shenzhen, etc. 

Late- Dec

Get connected. You will be invited to the official GTSI graduate student WeChat group. 

See GT-Atlanta Housing Deadlines 

Cancel GT-Atlanta Housing (if needed, for exchange students). For students who exchange from GT-Atlanta, it is your responsibility to work with GT-Atlanta Housing and Residence Life to initiate a cancellation, due to study abroad reasons. To apply for this cancellation (penalty free) for an upcoming term, please complete the request form to submit with your housing cancellation. 

Late- Dec

Complete the form of arrival information collection. You will receive an email requesting your trip to Shenzhen, China, please reply in a timely manner. 

Jan. 4- Jan. 5  

Complete the student check-in process. You will physically go to campus and complete the check-in process per the instruction we will email to you. Please note that the first day of classes is Jan 8. 

The First Week of the Spring Semester 

Attend orientation sessions. Upon arriving on campus, you are required to attend the GTSI General Orientation. Also, your program may also hold an orientation that you are required to attend. 

Jan. 4- Jan. 12, 4 p.m. (Atlanta Time) 

Register for classes. New graduate students will be able to register for classes during the Phase II registration window according to the Registrar's academic calendar (https://registrar.gatech.edu/calendar). You will have an assigned registration "time ticket" indicating the specific date & time your access to the registration system will begin. You will be able to continue to register and make schedule changes through 4 p.m. (Atlanta Time) on the Friday of the first week of the semester (when registration closes for all students). Go to the BuzzPort student tab to access online registration. This tab will appear before the start of the semester for new students.

Visit shenzhen.gatech.edu/courses to view current course offerings as well as those previously offered.

At GT-Shenzhen, each student shall register for no more than 13 credit hours per semester. 

If there is a 'hold' on your account, you may not register until you submit the missing information or complete the related questionnaire. 

Jan. 4 to Jan. 14, 4 p.m. (Atlanta Time)  

Check OSCAR balance daily. GT-Shenzhen students pay tuition and dorm rent to the Office of Finance and Assets Management of GTSI via GTSI Pay, instead of the Office of the Bursar of GT-Atlanta via OSCAR. During the first week of the summer semester, please check your OSCAR balance daily for errors. If there are ANY tuition or fees (outside of your insurance fee) on your account, please contact your program coordinator immediately for a correction. This error will cause the cancellation of your classes if not corrected before the end of the registration period. 

Jan. 12, 4 p.m. (Atlanta Time)  

Last day for schedule changes. Make your final course selection by 4 PM, Aug 25. This is the last day to register, make schedule changes, and/or drop courses without a "W" grade for the semester. 

Jan. 12

Complete payments. Tuition and medical insurance payments need to be done after you register for classes via GTSI Pay. You will be notified by email, including the payment deadlines. Please note that failure to pay will result in the cancelation of classes and will not be reinstated.