International Student Orientation
Important Dates
Sept 1 - Sept 17: Move-In Dates for Graduate International Students
Sept 17: Move-In Day for Undergraduate International Students
Sept 17: Welcome Day + Dinner w/ ISP
Sept 18: iBegin@Caltech (attendance required; details below)
Sept 19: Meet Ups hosted by ISP Orientation Leaders
Event Overview
iBegin@Caltech, for new Bachelor's, Master's, and PhD degree-seeking international students, starts with the casual Welcome Day on Thursday in the Center for Student Services (CSS). From 10 AM – 4 PM, stop by to say hello and collect snacks, swag (t-shirt!), and your name tag. You can get crafty and paint rocks with us. Plus, Orientation Leaders will drive you and your luggage (in decorated electric carts!) to your dorm building, if needed! Friday attendance is mandatory and FUN! You will receive important info about immigration, cultural adjustment, and working in the U.S. - all through comedy sketches performed by students and ISP! Plus afternoon activities, dinner, and games. Saturday, join any or all of the peer-led Meet Ups!
Your ISP Team
Reach any and all of us through the ISP Email Address
- Laura Flower Kim, Associate Director
- Daniel Yoder, International Advisor
- Tong An, Case Coordinator
Beyond ISP...
Sept 20 - 25: New Student Orientation for Undergraduates (attendance required)
Sept 21 - 25: New Student Orientation for Graduates (attendance required)
Sept 28: Fall Term Class Instruction Begins
Welcome New International Students | Center for Student Services (CSS)
10:00 AM – 4:00 PM = Snacks, Crafts, and Luggage Transport
5:00 - 6:00 PM = Dinner
ISP staff and Orientation Leaders will be available throughout the day to provide a friendly HELLO, luggage transport, and lots of refreshments to enjoy as you arrive and settle in. This is NOT a required event. This is a casual opportunity to meet ISP and Orientation Leaders, with particular focus on assisting international undergrads on their campus move-in day. All new international students and families are invited! Dinner will be provided by ISP from 5:00 - 6:00 PM; for other meals, see Campus Dining and Off-Campus Favorites below.
ISP Art&Soul - #CaltechRocks
Join ISP and Orientation Leaders painting river rocks. When we're done, we can keep our rocks or place them around campus for others to find and enjoy. All supplies provided by ISP. No artistic skill needed!
Campus Dining available on this day:
Breakfast
Red Door Marketplace: 7 AM - 11 AM
Browne Dining Hall: 7 AM - 10:30 AM
Broad Café: 7:30 AM - 10:30 AM
Lunch
Red Door Marketplace: 11 AM - 8 PM
Browne Dining Hall: 11 AM - 3:30 PM
Broad Café: 11 AM - 2:30 PM
Dinner
Red Door Marketplace: 11 AM - 8 PM
Browne Dining Hall: 5 PM - 7 PM
Off-Campus Favorites on South Lake Avenue for dining beyond 7 PM:
Urbane Cafe | 218 South Lake Avenue
Urban Plates | 269 South Lake Avenue
Veggie Grill | 200 South Lake Avenue
Granville | 270 South Lake Avenue
And Lots More! Click Here for a List of South Lake Restaurants, Coffee Houses, and Shops
Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner provided by ISP
Wear your new HELLO t-shirt + Name Tag!
9:00 AM | Breakfast | Beckman Lawn Tent
Wear your name tag + Hello shirt, and enjoy a special breakfast!
10:00 AM | Culture Shock Comedy Sketch
Whether you are new to the United States or just new to Caltech, cultural transitions come with ups and downs. We will get through it together with a little humility and a lot of humor! Introduction by ISP and comedy sketch by Caltech's theater club EXPLiCIT.
10:45 AM | Immigration Dramedy Sketch
Comedy + Drama = Dramedy! Let's learn through laughter! What happens when my visa expires? Am I eligible for a summer internship? What documents do I need for travel? Can I ever take a term off? We will help you understand your rights and responsibilities of your nonimmigrant student status. Followed by Q&A.
11:45 - 1:00 PM | Peer Panels
Meet in assigned groups facilitated by Orientation Leaders - current Caltech international students who have been enrolled at Caltech for at least one academic year. They will help you get to know each other, share stories from their own cultural transitions, and offer peer-to-peer advice.
1:00 PM | Lunch
Grab some lunch, make some new friends.
3:30 PM | Campus Scavenger Hunt
A wacky journey through campus. Join teams, meet friends, and explore. This game will help you discover the secrets of Caltech and help you navigate your way around campus.
2025 Scavenger Hunt Prize Winners
Most Correct Answers: "The Fundamental Nerds!"
Most Locations Visited: "(Torr)iffying Pressure (atm)"
Most Creative Team Name: "Laura's Minions"
Best Team Photo: " Import MSMEBCP as name"
5:30 PM | Outdoor Dinner + Games | Tournament Park
Join us for food, games, and conversation while playing anything from chess and cards to badminton and frisbee.
9:30 – 10:30 AM | Breakfast
Let's eat together once more!
Throughout the Day | Meet Ups with Orientation Leaders
A day of optional, student-led activities, both on and off-campus, from morning to sunset. Activities include a morning jog in the neighborhood, walk to City Hall, shopping through Old Town Pasadena, dinner out, and more. Sign ups available during iBegin@Caltech. All Meet Ups start from the Beckman Lawn Tent.
8:30 AM | Running
Enjoy a scenic 5K run through the beautiful neighborhoods of Pasadena and San Marino. We will run at a comfortable pace for runners accustomed to finishing a 5K run in 35 - 45 minutes or faster.
12:30 PM | Lunch on Lake
Cost: Your Food + Beverage
Take a short walk from Caltech to visit a variety of shops and restaurants on South Lake Ave food, California cuisine, vegetarian and vegan offerings and much more!
4:30 PM | Old Town + City Hall + Dinner
Cost: Your Food + Beverage + any Transportation back to Campus
Walk together to historic Old Town Pasadena. Over 200 specialty shops, over 100 restaurants, sidewalk cafes, coffee shops, and ice cream shops. See the famous City Hall dome and other Pasadena landmarks. Getting back to campus is easy on Pasadena Transit Bus #10.
9:00 PM | Ice Cream
Cost: Your Food + Beverage
Located on just a short walk from Caltech, join us for a visit to Afters Ice Cream. This is a one-of-a-kind dessert experience where you can enjoy handcrafted ice cream with unique flavors such as cinnamon toast, mango, and real jasmine tea leaves.
Campus Dining available on this day:
Red Door Marketplace: 1 PM - 8 PM
ISP Online Immigration Check-In
- ISP Online Immigration Check-In AFTER arrival in the United States
In-Person Employment Check-In w/ISP
- PhD students only require an in-person Employment Check-In w/ISP to complete the I-9 Employment Verification in addition to the Online Immigration Check-In (all other students, see ISP Online Immigration Check-In above)
- ISP Walk-In Hours, Monday - Thursday, 1 - 3 PM in CSS, 2nd Floor
- ISP is not available Sept 7 due to the Labor Day U.S. holiday
- ISP is not available Sept 14 - 18 for iBegin@Caltech preparations
U.S. Address Updates
All students who are eligible for an Access.Caltech account must update their address and phone number upon arrival.
- Log into Access.Caltech
- Click "My Personal Information"
- Click "Phones and Addresses"
- Click "Local Residence Address" to edit and enter your physical address (no Mail Codes)
Important Address Info
Graduate Students and any students living off-campus must check NO to "Local Residence in a Student House" (Student House relates only to undergraduate dormitories).
Example of On-Campus (Undergraduate) Address:
- Address Field 1: 1200 E California Blvd
- Address Field 2: Bechtel 123
- City, State, Zip Code: Pasadena, CA 91125
Example Off-Campus + Grad Student Housing Address:
- Address Field 1: 500 S Catalina Ave
- Address Field 2: APT 201
- City, State, Zip Code: Pasadena, CA 91106
iBegin@Caltech is for degree-seeking international students beginning Fall 2026